L'Aquila - Basilica di San Giuseppe Artigiano

L'Aquila is located about 700 meters high in the valley of the Aterno. It is dominated on all sides by the mountains of Abruzzo, including to the east the Gran Sasso d'Italia, the highest mountain in mainland Italy outside the Alps.

In 1230, Emperor Frederick II founded Aquila on the site of - according to tradition - 99 villages. Since then, the number 99 has a special meaning for the Aquilians. The city walls were completely built in 1316.

In the 15th century it had about 8000 inhabitants and was the most important fortress of the Kingdom of Naples. In 1528 the city was conquered by Emperor Charles V for the Spanish crown. After the earthquake of 1786, the city was partially rebuilt in the Baroque style.

On April 6, 2009, an earthquake destroyed large parts of the city. There were 308 fatalities, and about 1,500 people were injured. Around 65,000 people were rendered homelessThe then Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi immediately promised help to the earthquake victims of L'Aquila. There is circumstantial evidence that the mafia has infiltrated the authorities and is leaking aid money. It took almost five years for construction work to begin in L'Aquila.
The Basilica of San Giuseppe Artigiano which was seriously damaged by the 2009 earthquake. The restoration started in 2011 and it was reopened to the public in 2012.

The building goes back to the middle of the 13th century, which means to the foundation of L'Aquila. The earthquake of 1703 completely destroyed the church, which was rebuilt starting in 1708. However, the works proceeded very slowly, so much so that in 1722 the reconstruction of a single lateral nave was attested and in 1748 the works were not yet completed. In 1754, with reconstruction still underway, the parish was deprived of the privileges it had enjoyed for five centuries; subsequently, the title was taken away from it, and, after a few years, religious functions were no longer celebrated there.

Restoration started end of the 19th century. The church, now deconsecrated, remained abandoned and was used, during WWII, as a dormitory for soldiers. In 2008 the building became a university parish