Quake: Cultural & Human Damage
Italy’s deadliest earthquake in three decades damaged some of the country’s oldest monuments, including the medieval dome of a 13th-century church that survived another quake three centuries ago. According to Bloomberg News, ‘the remote and mountainous region of Abruzzo, where the earthquake yesterday hit hardest, includes well-preserved medieval and Renaissance towns that are home to some of the country’s priceless art works. The quake, which killed at least 179 people, destroyed the Romanesque church of Maria di Collemaggio, a masterpiece of gothic architecture built under Pope Celestine V in the regional capital of L’Aquila. “The damage done to Italy’s cultural heritage has been enormous,†Vittorio Sgarbi, an art critic who served as an undersecretary at the Ministry of Culture in 2001, said in a telephone interview today.’ If you want to donate to the relief efforts, click here.
