Hic et nunc: churches and the 2016 earthquake in central italy; from the emergency to the potentiality for a temporary re-use. CHURCHES AND THE

Seismic events that hit our National territory with a relatively high frequency pose a threat to our Cultural Heritage, which is largely composed of churches. The earthquakes that have recently occurred in Central Italy –with its strongest strikes on August 24, October 26 and 30, 2016, and January 18, 2017– have left many damaged churches. These were "crystallized" at the instant when the earthquakes struck them. Until now, only provisional interventions for safety have been carried out, waiting for better conditions in the future, when organization procedures and financial supports can bring these heritage assets back to life. These churches are currently deprived of their essence, having lost, beyond their specific function, both their role of works of art and containers of works of art. In this specific period of transition, the community cannot benefit from these goods. Actually, even when their functional activities have been temporarily relocated to tents or emergency structures, it is impossible to enjoy the artistic and cultural values when access is restricted. Therefore, this period of interruption is determined by economic, administrative and logistic reasons. In recent times, "bottom-up" initiatives have been adopted to take care of several neglected heritage assets. Through participatory actions, these have sought to go beyond the normal valorization and restoration processes. The economic crisis and the ever-decreasing resources for interventions on Cultural Heritage, have surely influenced these activities, giving way to projects of temporary re-use. In this moment of post-earthquake emergency, where the normality is disrupted, the need of "reinventing” and “rethinking” may become a promoter of changes. To this regard, the work proposed here will present examples taken from other comparable situations. In this perspective, the post-earthquake emergency could become a potentiality for living Art and Architecture in this specific span of time in an unusual way. Situations like these can make a community feel and share unique emotions and, in many ways, they could help in the process of safeguard, conservation and valorization. Indeed, some forms of partial and controlled access could be possible thanks to provisional emergency interventions, allowing the appreciation of decorative or constructive elements that under normal conditions cannot be perceived from that perspective and with such attention. This makes the considered building a sort of temporary museum of itself. Moreover, impacting events like these enable us to experience an unrepeatable moment in the life of a heritage asset, that will, in the future, become part of its history, but that will certainly not be lived again. Hic et Nunc, as part of the title of this article, intends to emphasize precisely this aspect.