The hardest loss from the 6.2-magnitude earthquake that struck Italy on April 6 was the deaths of 300 people. But long after the dead are buried, the shattered buildings, especially the churches, will bear testament to the disaster. Every building in L’Aquila (population: 72,000) was damaged. Of the region’s 105 churches, 99 suffered extensive damage including collapsed bell towers, caved-in cupolas and shattered frescoes. The national Culture Ministry says it will take at least $40 million just to shore up the churches and sort through the rubble to find fragments of frescoes and other artifacts. In 1997 a quake of similar strength severely damaged the frescoes in the basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi nearby. That restoration cost $67 million and took nine years to complete. The churches of L’Aquila suffered far more damage, and many will likely never be restored.
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