Convent of San Giuliano – Wikipedia

The convent of San Giuliano It is a religious building from L’Aquila, located outside the walls, close to the homonymous neighborhood.

Built in the fifteenth century, it was declared a national monument in 1902 ^[first] . The convent is also home to an important town library and the natural science museum.

The convent was one of the first seats of the Franciscans, and was founded by Blessed Giovanni Vici da Stroncone and consecrated in 1415, enriching himself with the presence of San Giovanni da Capestrano and Bernardino da Siena. In 1452 it hosts the general chapter of Cismonian observance, which until recently was carried out in the church of San Francesco in Piazza Palazzo, inside the Civic Aquilane walls. In 1592 it passed to the greatest degree of the Church of the Conventual Friars; having until then the seat of minors.

In 1798 with the arrival of the French, the convent was plundered and the sacred body of Blessed Vincenzo dell’Aquila (16th century) profaned, even if he was subsequently recomposed. In the first half of the nineteenth century the convent was deprived of its function by Gioacchino Murat until 1875, when it was regained by the order. In 1960 there were imposing restoration works that saw the cleaning outside the baroque influences and the demolition of a small building annexed to the church with portico dating back to 1712 and close to the collapse.

For its position on a rocky spur, the convent has not suffered damage from the 2009 earthquake.

The convent is located north-west of L’Aquila, at the beginning of a vast mountainous, wooded and meadow natural area that reaches San Vittorino, Arischia, Collebrzei, Aragno, Tempera, Camarda and Assergi from the city, and characterized by the presence of a vast pine forest ( Pineta di San Giuliano ), decimated by a wooded fire in 2007, of numerous paths and another church placed slightly higher which takes the name of Madonna Fore . It is easily accessible from the town along via San Giuliano. The convent is also home to an important city library.

External [ change | Modifica Wikitesto ]

The outside has a very sober facade, with hut, with porch over the portal. The center of the facade is decorated with a rose window, while the small sailing bell tower stands on the left. Above the transept stands a small dome.

The external cloister remained in the original form. Composed of arches with counterfeit, it has other all sixth windows attached to each other; On the walls of the walls there are 18 lunettes concerning the life of Giovanni di Capestrano, while on the vaults of the porch there are seventeenth -century frescoes by John Paolo Cardone.

Attached to the main church is the convent, a small hermitage structure, probably used as a original structure. It is traced back to the thirteenth century because of the portal and the two Gothic, slender and slender side windows. The facade is in Capanna, in stone, while the bell tower is sailing.

Internal [ change | Modifica Wikitesto ]

The interior of the church presents itself with a single rectangular nave, decorated with baroque stuccos and chapels. On the left there are the chapels of Blessed Vincenzo, made by Saturnino Gatti (15th century) and the Blessed Crocifix. Between the two chapels there is the Baroque sepulcher of Vincenzo dell’Aquila, wanted by the Bishop Aquila Gaspar Salgado Gayoso (17th century).

On the right side there are two huge eighteenth -century paintings of San Giovanni da Capestrano in Belgrade It is San Diego de Alcalà , made by Vincenzo Damini. The main altar is decorated with Berninian canopy, with the canvas of the Assumption and other eighteenth -century paintings by Damini, including Adoration of the Magi .

Library and Museum of Natural Sciences [ change | Modifica Wikitesto ]

Recent museum works, the library was inaugurated in 2008, and the museum in 2007. The library, born in 2008, consists of over 4,500 ancient volumes; The museum, which was built in 2009, was born as a project by the Domenico Cotugno high school to make known the Abruzzo nature of the mountains, plains and seas. Inside there are large sections dedicated to the local flora and fauna Aquilana, and a cast of a victim of Pompeii, after the eruption of 70 AD.