Ricerca e cantiere per il complesso conventuale di San Francesco in Assisi (1997-1999). Un’esperienza di ‘circolarità virtuosa’ fra storia e restauro

Abstract

On the sidelines of the earthquake of September 1997 that caused the collapse of two main vaults of the Upper Basilica of St.
Francis in Assisi, the Superintendence to Umbria’s Artistic, Architectural and Historical Heritage decided to flank the reconstruction
work with historical-critical research to strengthen the knowledge of this very complicated and stratified building.
The dramatic situation that had tragically affected the Franciscan community killing two brothers and severely damaging the basilica,
unexpectedly offered a unique opportunity to study the building up close from its very inside. The ‘open-hearted’ consolidation
and reconstruction work allowed to analyze hidden parts of the masonry structures, understanding the composition of the
architectural parts and the overlapping of the many construction phases, as no one had ever been able to explore in modern times.
The investigation work, which went hand in hand with the consolidation site, was coordinated by Giovanni Carbonara and
Corrado Bozzoni and required two years of field work, archival research, and bibliographical survey, activating a very desirable
‘virtuous circularity’ between history and restoration. It was a unique and exciting experience in terms of potentials in the field
of architectural history, but also a test of the critical investigation method and a powerful resource of information for the ongoing
construction site; and, of course, a unique occasion for an inexperienced researcher like me.
This paper recalls the story of this research after a luster, as it still stands as a milestone as opposed to current endeavors concerning
recent post seismic reconstruction following the 2016 earthquake that struck Central Italy.

Keywords : Postseismic reconstruction, basilica of St. Francis in Assisi, gothic architecture, restoration, consolidation.