Can you say who turns into the worst victim of earthquake? Is it the common people of the vicinity or the region’s economy? Well, both of them and along with them the buildings. There is no doubt in it that buildings become the worst sufferers of an earthquake and the same scène was found again when Italy’s deadliest quake in nearly three decades struck L’Aquila recently. What has been the result? There has been widespread casualty and on the other hand the 6.3-magnitude earthquake collapsed both ancient and modern buildings in and around L’Aquila.
L’Aquila is a city in central Italy, both the capital city of the Abruzzo region and of the Province of L’Aquila. The city is situated within medieval walls on a hill in the wide valley of the Aterno river, it is surrounded by the Apennine Mountains with the Gran Sasso d’Italia to the north-east. It was built around 1240 by Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II as a mountain stronghold during the Middle Ages and has many prized Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance buildings.
Let’s begin with the comment of a responsible official on the scale of the damage. On the word of Giuseppe Proietti, a top Culture Ministry official in Rome, “The damage is more serious than we can imagine.” “The historic center of L’Aquila has been devastated.”
What are the most prominent damages? Well, part of the nave of the 13th-century Basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio — one of the city’s oldest and most famous buildings was found to crush soon after the ground stopped shaking. This church which has a pink-and-white façade has a special significance. It represents the gallant combination of Romanesque and Gothic architecture and also happens to be the place where Pope Celestine V was consecrated in 1294 and is where he was buried.
On the other hand, the bell tower of the 16th-century Basilica of San Bernardino that is placed in the north collapsed. What’s more a large part of the Renaissance castle that houses the city’s National Historical Museum crumbled along with it. Lamenting on the destruction Francesco Karrer, an art and architecture expert with Rome’s Sapienza University said, “In some cases, it’s impossible to repair these kinds of structures because the work is so detailed and complex.” “The value of the damage done is impossible to calculate,” Karrer added.
We also feel the same and bemoan.
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