Back to L’Aquila (6). Duomo restoration work finally begins

1. The Duomo of L’Aquila after the 2009 earthquake
Photo: Giovanni Latanzi

See the image in its page

In 1703, the L’Aquila earthquake almost completely destroyed the cathedral, which was rebuilt by the Roman architect Sebastiano Cipriani from 1711 onwards, only to be reopened in 1780, the building remaining unfinished at the time. The current façade was not built until 1851, and was not completed until 1928. Much of the interior decoration dates back to the 19th century. The 2009 earthquake and its aftershocks hit it hard again, causing the collapse of the left arm and the transept crossing (ill. 1).

2. The Duomo of L’Aquila in 2011, two years
after the earthquake: the left arm and transept crossing have completely collapsed.
Photo: Didier Rykner