Chiesa di San Bernardino

Visit to the church and monastery of San Bernardino, 10th June 2015

The church of San Bernardino was constructed in 2010, one year post-earthquake. The architects are Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel and Partners, who won this project as a competition for 'the construction of a religious complex for liturgical functions and a small monastery, as well as the construction of a dining hall for charitable assistance.' The church is used by the Order of the Friars Minor of San Bernardino. The complex was organised around the model of a basic Cistercian abbey. The plan combines religious and secular functions in a holistic around an internal 'cloister'.

I was able to visit the church, and also access the area surrounding the monastery, but not the central monastery courtyard. Reaching the church by foot requires leaving the historic centre and walking around 15 minutes beyond the city walls. The monastery complex is located in Piazza D'Armi. I have not been able to ascertain the 'official' use of this space, but my exploration shows that the large area is mostly empty scrub land, spreading around the Church which is tucked into the northwest corner. To the south, the empty space was partly taken up by a small temporary market. The only other significant construction is an athletics track and stadium. The church therefore seems rather small in contrast the the vast empty space of the 'piazza', and the empty space surrounding it gives the place a sad, disused feel; certainly this was my first impression.

The buildings themselves were more attractive. Made from simple and cheap materials, there is attention to detail which stands out. However, the users of the complex have already constructed additional 'sheds' alongside the church, which are in the same language of corrugated iron but without the same detailing, and therefore detract from the overall scheme. Internally, the church was surprisingly light and seemed popular and well-used.

In this location, the church and monastery are successful for working well with their surroundings; however, I think they lack some sense of value or significance, particularly given the post-earthquake context. I tend to question why, post-earthquake, developments such as this were not created within the historic city as a way to revitalise L'Aquila's core. This way, the complex could have been a more valuable contribution to the damaged city and its significance as a form of post-eathquake reconstruction would have had more impact.

There is also the Basilica of San Bernardino in L'Aquila's historic centre, which is one of the most famous architectural elements of the city.