Restoration Continues for Historic Church and Hermitage in Italy
“Altare cercasi…”. More specifically, the one that until the 1970s was located in the former rural church dedicated to Saints Fermo and Rustico.
The appeal comes from those involved in the restoration to bring a building back to worship which has been used for secular purposes for over 120 years and has recently been abandoned.
Therefore, anyone in possession of information that could be useful in locating the artifact can contact the cultural association Francesco Fontana, which has long been at the forefront, with the support of the municipal administration and the backing of Lacisiensi and other public and private entities, in the recovery of the historic building complex with the hermitage attached to the church.
The work is carried out by the company Aleandro De Carli under the direction of architects Paolo Corradini and Giorgio Benoni, with supervision by architect Maria Grazia Martelletto, who is responsible on behalf of the Soprintendenza ai Beni ambientali e architettonici.
After completing the roof renovation of the hermitage, the intervention also covered the roof of the finds discovered during excavations, revealing, as per the directives of the Soprintendenza, two of the most important discoveries: the Lombard tomb and medieval walls with a Roman column trunk.
Following the installation of the electrical system and underfloor heating, work is now focused on plastering, paving of the church with handcrafted terracotta, and installing larch wood frames with stained glass.
The external area will then be cleaned, so as to have something well defined by the end of April.
Costs and public involvement
“The expenses so far are close to 220 million,” states Paolo Corradini, “but at least another 200 million will be needed for external works, starting with the underpinning.”
The Francesco Fontana association continues to seek to raise awareness among those who can contribute, so that the building can be fully restored and the hermitage turned into a cultural center with photographic archives and a specialized library for local history studies.
Recently, support also arrived from the Banca Popolare di Verona Banco San Geminiano e San Prospero, which granted five million euros to cover the expenses of the works planned by the Francesco Fontana association.
The missing altar and the plan for a new artifact
Regarding the issue of the missing altar, which was probably recovered by an antiquity enthusiast since it was forgotten, it is worth noting that a project for a new stone artifact was submitted by a young architect, Sara Scalia; the project was positively assessed by experts.