Monumental heritage in the L’Aquila, Italy, earthquake:considerations on a case-study

The earthquake swarm that hit the L’Aquila region, in central Italy, with its main shock on April, 6, 2009 has caused major damage to the artistic heritage of the area, particularly rich in monumental palaces and ancient churches. In the immediate post-event period, a thorough operation of damage assessment has been carried out according to a pre-defined classification procedure. Subsequently, a more detailed survey and analysis of damage was performed in order to facilitate decision on future interventions. One of these churches, S.Biagio Amiterno, is presented here. Damage, consisting in the collapse of part of the façade, in local collapse in the vaults, and in an extended crack pattern in vaults, columns, and walls, is discussed and interpreted. In more general terms, the exam of specific case studies gives also the possibility of highlighting various aspects related to the seismic behavior of the building typologies concerned