Conservation of the Church and the Friary of “Santa Maria degli Angeli” in Atella (Potenza, Italy)

Abstract

Built at the end of XV century and re-built in XVIII, as a consequence of many earthquakes, englobing the precious portal of a previous church of XIII, the complex set up by the Church of Santa Maria degli Angeli and the Friary of Minor Friars, expropriated by the unitary Italian State after 1860 and sold to private peoples, had a destiny common to many similar buildings in the south of Italy, becoming farm and agricultural products’ warehouse. Struck again by the earthquake of 1980, it has been the object of partial safeguard works, but is now abandoned and in ruin. Because of its strategic position, in a context very rich of environmental and historical-cultural goods, it could be easily restored and intended to be a youth hotel, fulfilling an investment of great value for the development of the regional culture and economy. Research done through the careful architectural and technological survey of existing building and the design of low-technology works of conservational reconstruction and structural-functional update, demonstrates the feasibility of hypothesis and its sustainability.