The Basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio
The earthquake on 6 April 2009 seriously damaged a large number of monuments, including the splendid Romanesque basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio, which is on the list of 45 monuments drawn up by the Cultural Assets and Activities Ministry for restoration. The transept vaults, the triumphal arches, the drum and the cupola have all collapsed, while the 15th century west front is intact. The relics of Pope Celestine V, which were housed in the church where the pope was crowned in 1294, were also recovered by firemen unscathed three days after the earthquake.
The Cultural Assets Ministry's experts and firefighting teams are working to make the monument safe and to allow the public back into at least a part of it by the end of August when the Celestine Pardon, a world-famous religious-cum-cultural ceremony which ends with the basilica's Holy Door being opened, is performed every year.
The basilica of Collemaggio, L'Aquila's largest Romanesque church, located just outside the city, was built between 1283 and 1288 by order of hermit Pietro del Morrone, who was crowned pope there with the name of Celestine V on 29 August 1294. This was the first time any pope had been crowned outside the apostolic walls of Rome.
The basilica, which is heavily influenced by Abruzzese Romanesque and Gothic architecture, was designed on the Latin cross plan. It is faced in the local white and pink stone, the same colours as the city's Fountain of the 99 Spouts (Fontana delle Novantanove Cannelle) and sports three doors, each one surmounted by a rose window. After an earthquake in 1703 had seriously damaged the building, the interior was encased in heavy Baroque cladding, concealing its octagonal pilasters, its pointed Gothic arches and its original ceiling. Restoration work in the 'seventies resulted in most of the Baroque cladding being removed, other than in the transepts.
The Holy Door through which Celestine V entered the basilica on the day of his coronation is situated on the left-hand side of the church. Every year on 28 August, after the historical Celestine Pardon parade, the door is opened to allow a throng of penitents to flock into the basilica.
Photo: The Celestine Pardon official website
