Surveying and Restoration of St. Basilio Monastery in L’Aquila

The monastery of St. Basilio is in the northern of the historic center of L’Aquila, near the town walls. The complex has a medieval origin, and the church and the buildings have a system dating from the fifteenth century. In the eighteen century an expansion was realized, made by a long building on the homonymous square; at the same time the church was reconfigured in late baroque style. This intervention – attributed to Cipriani – has significant importance according to typological experimentation and architectural quality, with particular reference to the solution of the facade. The earthquake of 2009 caused significant damage. The eighteenth century building, together with a part of the medieval cloister, homes the convention center of the L'Aquila University. The paper, after an overview of the monastic complex, deals with the issue of the restoration and re-use of the portion owned by the University. The topics are: integrated surveying; 3D modeling; metrical and proportional study; the historical-critical analysis with the expression of the aesthetical and historical value’s judgment; the analysis of the constructive system and of degradation; the project of reparation and mitigation of seismic vulnerability; the architectural restoration project according to the guidelines of the critical conservative restoration; the theme of urban restoration that necessarily involves the square, seriously compromised in its perception of space-square by the interventions of the twentieth century.