The church of Santa Maria del Suffragio
The church of Santa Maria del Suffragio, more commonly called the Purgatorio church or the Anime Sante church by the people of L'Aquila, is situated on the city's main square, the old market square, known today as Piazza Duomo. Pictures of the drum and dome built by architect Giuseppe Valadier in 1805, that were partially wrecked in the earthquake, went all around the world, fast becoming one of the symbols of the wounded heart of L'Aquila and of that part of the Abruzzo region's artistic and architectural heritage that needs to be rebuilt.
The idea of building the Anime Sante church goes back to 30 September 1708, when the Curia of L'Aquila allowed the Confraternity of Santa Maria del Suffragio, whose original headquarters had been badly damaged in the earthquake of 1703, to build a new place of worship. The Cathedral of San Massimo, however, was opposed to the idea because it feared that the erection of a second place of worship in the Piazza Duomo might have a negative impact on the cathedral's prestige.
The plans for the new church were commissioned from Roman architect Carlo Buratti, a pupil of Fontana, who introduced the salient features of Roman late baroque architecture into the L'Aquila area. The west front, on the other hand, was designed by Gianfrancesco Leomporri and built by Antonio Bucci, a marble mason from Pescocostanzo. The façade was completed in 1775. Thankfully the earthquake did not damaged the façade, although it dealt a very severe blow to the church's structure.
The Anime Sante church, which is on the list of 45 monuments requiring restoration drafted by the Cultural Assets and Activities Ministry, has been officially adopted by the French Government. The Ministry estimates that the church will cost 6.5 million euro to restore and that the work can be completed in four years.
