No 49 - IFLA

The Abruzzo Earthquake – The Rescuing of Cultural Heritage
by Patrizia Miracola
Art Historian, Istituto superiore centrale per il restauro
(Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Activities – MiBAC – Italy)
The earthquake that struck the city and province of L’Aquila
on 6th April 2009 not only destroyed homes but also historical
palaces, castles, churches, monasteries, ancient dwellings,
museums and monuments. These buildings had served as
guardians of the immense historical and artistic legacy that
had been accumulated over centuries.
Straight after the rescue of all survivors had been completed,
the area’s cultural heritage wealth was the subject of a prompt
recovery operation by digging amongst the rubble.
Rapid intervention by the Civil Protection Department enabled
the recovery and safe storage of the works of art that survived.
Like the people affected by the earthquake, the salvaged
works were taken to shelter in buildings that were
more resistant than those that had previously housed them.
Most monuments in the city suffered damage and for this
reason they were put on an emergency list drawn up on the
basis of various criteria: the extent of the damage, the monument’s
historical, architectural and religious significance, and
its critical value, in relation to the speedy recovery of the life of
the city.
The most damaged religious sites include the cathedral
complex with its old market square and the later Basilica of
San Bernardino da Siena, built to house the remains of the
preacher who died in L’Aquila in 1444.
The city’s churches are spread around this nucleus and form
the distinctive element of the image of L’Aquila, starting with
the Basilica of Collemaggio with its unmistakeable facade
made of pink and white stone.
The National Museum of Abruzzo, housed in the Spanish castle
that dates back to the middle of the sixteenth century, also
suffered significant and extensive damage, and thus the
recovery of its works was set about very quickly. This recovery
operation also involved lowering the works using a platform
attached to a long, extendable arm.
The works that were recovered belong to a vast collection
made up of diverse typologies and objects, ranging from prehistoric
artefacts to archaeological ones, from collections of
medieval art to more recent examples of 19th-century Abruzzian
and modern art. These works were “hospitalised” in the
1-2. Works recovered in the lab of Celano. © ISCR
“laboratory of Celano” at the town’s Museum of Prehistoric
Archaeology.
Time-consuming, extensive work to examine the state of conser
vation of the works was carried out in the restoration laboratory.
This was followed by prompt intervention and their
safe storage, performed by restorers from the Istituto superiore
per la conservazione ed il restauro (ISCR) in collaboration
with the Opificio delle Pietre Dure (OPD).
With the exception of the terracotta Madonna from the Basilica
of Collemaggio, interventions were performed on works
from the Spanish castle with the aim of safely storing the
damaged works. These urgent operations were carried out in
order to avoid, limit or primarily contain the deterioration
progress that was underway, pending subsequent, systematic
restoration.
A data logger was also installed in order to monitor the microclimatic
parameters of temperature and relative humidity and
light intensity, both in the areas appointed for storage, as well
as in the area used for interventions.
Interventions performed on the various works (paintings on
wood, canvas, terracottas, etc.) include:
- the cataloguing of the work;
- photographic documentation;
- first intervention;
- packaging of the work.
Relevant essential data was set out in an electronic chart: the
identification of the work (measurements, museum inventory
number if present, Lega Ambiente number, etc.), type of work
(painting on wood, painting on canvas, polychrome wood
sculpture, etc.), type of damage caused by the earthquake
(present on the support, preliminary layers, pictorial layers,
etc.), the operations carried out to contain the advance of
decay and the products used during the intervention. In addition,
the chart also contains an overall assessment of the state
of conservation, indicating intervention that will be necessary
over time.
Each chart is also supplied with photographs of the damage,
of the interventions carried out both on the front and on the
back, and the image from the Lega Ambiente form. If there
was no identification number
assigned by the Lega Ambiente, a
new progressive number would
be created with a progressive
alphanumerical code of two letters
and three numbers: SA
(sisma abruzzo – Abruzzo earthquake),
001, 002, etc. (e.g. SA
007). Works that have undergone
monitoring are tagged on the
outside with a red label to enable
quick identification of works that
have already been inspected and
safely stored, as opposed to the
numerous other works still awaiting
observation and inspection.
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International Preservation News No. 49 December 2009