Back to L'Aquila (5). The rediscovered frescoes of Santa Maria della Misericordia

The destruction caused by earthquakes can sometimes be offset by the rediscovery of works that had remained hidden for centuries. This is the case in L’Aquila, notably in a small church that is still being restored but that we were able to visit: Santa Maria della Misericordia (ill. 1 and 2), very close to the chiesa di San Silvestro, which we’ll talk about in a later article.

: 1. The church of Santa Maria della
Misericordia in L’Aquila
Photo: Didier Rykner; See the image in its page

: 2. View of the nave and choir of the church
Santa Maria della Misericordia in L’Aquila
Photo: Didier Rykner; See the image in its page

: 3. View of an altar in the nave of the church of Santa Maria Misericordia in L’Aquila, Baroque altar and 16th-century fresco
Photo: Didier Rykner; See the image in its page

While the earthquake did not cause any major damage to this building, it did not emerge completely unscathed structurally, requiring restoration work. It was thanks to this work that it was possible to discover, beneath the 18th-century Baroque decoration, that the side walls of the single nave had been built in front of niches filled in with bricks and in front of which the 18th-century altarpieces had been installed. Previously, none of this had been visible. Behind these bricks, remarkably well-preserved 16th-century frescoes have been found (ill. 3 to 5), as well as in the sacristy and on the reverse of the façade [1].

: 4. View of an altar in the nave of the church of Santa Maria Misericordia in L’Aquila, Baroque altar and 16th-century fresco
Photo: Didier Rykner; See the image in its page

: 5. View of an altar in the nave of the church of Santa Maria Misericordia in L’Aquila, Baroque altar and 16th-century fresco
Photo: Didier Rykner; See the image in its page

The church was due to reopen in 2021, but work has been delayed and it is now scheduled for the end of 2023 at best.…

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