The ruins of the convent of St Dominic in Soriano Calabro bear witness to the devastation caused by the 1783 earthquake in Calabria Ultra, which razed to the ground one of the most important Baroque complexes in Southern Italy. The earthquake of 1659 had already compromised both the convent and the church, prompting the launch of an ambitious programme of restructuring and monumentalisation between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. This paper examines the monastic complex with the aim of reconstructing the architectural configuration of the eighteenth-century building. The interdisciplinary approach — combining historical-critical research (analysis of documentary, bibliographic and iconographic sources, investigation of modularity, metrological analysis) with technical expertise (laser scanning, digital photogrammetry, and digital modelling) — enables a deeper understanding of the site, offering a new interpretation of the ruins and contributing to the knowledge and enhancement of the monument. The study begins with a survey and critical examination of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century views by Fabiano Miotte, Francesco Cassiano de Silva, Pompeo Schiantarelli, Bernardino Rulli and Filippo Cirelli, which depict the magnificence of the sanctuary, the dismay at the complex reduced to ruins, and finally the wider landscape of which it forms part. Among these, Miotte’s engraving — identified here for the first time as dating from no later than 1706 — provides valuable information on the overall layout of the complex, yet represents the architecture of the convent in a synthetic manner, with a series of figurative approximations and graphic ‘uncertainties’. Of primary importance are the early encomiastic writings of Father Silvestro Frangipane and Antonino Lembo, in which the miracles performed by the acheiropoietic image of St Dominic are interwoven with historical information and accounts of the construction of the convent, as well as Giovan Battista Pacichelli’s description of his visit. Equally significant are the Giornali di fabbrica unearthed by Mario Panarello and the notarial acts identified by Antonio Tripodi. These sources — the views, the writings of Frangipane and Lembo, Pacichelli’s account, the Giornali di fabbrica and the notarial records — constitute valuable evidence for reconstructing the historical events of the sanctuary complex and, in particular, for obtaining information about the church and its reconstruction after the 1659 earthquake, designed by the Carthusian friar Bonaventura Presti. The survey campaign using laser scanning and digital photogrammetry made it possible to acquire metric data, point clouds and polygonal models, which were instrumental in accurately documenting the current condition of the façade and counter-façade, investigating modularity and transcribing the main dimensions in Neapolitan palms. A critical reading of the measurements and proportions shows that the Ionic orders of the pilasters on the façade and portal were designed according to the canons codified by Vignola, though not applied rigidly, revealing a design approach that refers to architectural treatises while introducing adaptations to suit specific conditions. The digital reconstruction of the eighteenth-century church is based on the bibliographic and documentary sources analysed, on-site observations and surveys, as well as reflections on modularity, analogical reasoning, and stylistic and compositional considerations. The interior order of the church, the layout of the nave walls, side chapels, transept, presbytery and vaulted intrados have thus been hypothesised. The result is a critical reconstruction that offers a concise and coherent picture of the original layout and spatial character of the church prior to the 1783 earthquake.
La chiesa del real convento di S. Domenico in Soriano Calabro. Studi e disegni per la sua ricostruzione virtuale
Antonio Agostino Zappani
2025-01-01
Abstract
The ruins of the convent of St Dominic in Soriano Calabro bear witness to the devastation caused by the 1783 earthquake in Calabria Ultra, which razed to the ground one of the most important Baroque complexes in Southern Italy. The earthquake of 1659 had already compromised both the convent and the church, prompting the launch of an ambitious programme of restructuring and monumentalisation between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. This paper examines the monastic complex with the aim of reconstructing the architectural configuration of the eighteenth-century building. The interdisciplinary approach — combining historical-critical research (analysis of documentary, bibliographic and iconographic sources, investigation of modularity, metrological analysis) with technical expertise (laser scanning, digital photogrammetry, and digital modelling) — enables a deeper understanding of the site, offering a new interpretation of the ruins and contributing to the knowledge and enhancement of the monument. The study begins with a survey and critical examination of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century views by Fabiano Miotte, Francesco Cassiano de Silva, Pompeo Schiantarelli, Bernardino Rulli and Filippo Cirelli, which depict the magnificence of the sanctuary, the dismay at the complex reduced to ruins, and finally the wider landscape of which it forms part. Among these, Miotte’s engraving — identified here for the first time as dating from no later than 1706 — provides valuable information on the overall layout of the complex, yet represents the architecture of the convent in a synthetic manner, with a series of figurative approximations and graphic ‘uncertainties’. Of primary importance are the early encomiastic writings of Father Silvestro Frangipane and Antonino Lembo, in which the miracles performed by the acheiropoietic image of St Dominic are interwoven with historical information and accounts of the construction of the convent, as well as Giovan Battista Pacichelli’s description of his visit. Equally significant are the Giornali di fabbrica unearthed by Mario Panarello and the notarial acts identified by Antonio Tripodi. These sources — the views, the writings of Frangipane and Lembo, Pacichelli’s account, the Giornali di fabbrica and the notarial records — constitute valuable evidence for reconstructing the historical events of the sanctuary complex and, in particular, for obtaining information about the church and its reconstruction after the 1659 earthquake, designed by the Carthusian friar Bonaventura Presti. The survey campaign using laser scanning and digital photogrammetry made it possible to acquire metric data, point clouds and polygonal models, which were instrumental in accurately documenting the current condition of the façade and counter-façade, investigating modularity and transcribing the main dimensions in Neapolitan palms. A critical reading of the measurements and proportions shows that the Ionic orders of the pilasters on the façade and portal were designed according to the canons codified by Vignola, though not applied rigidly, revealing a design approach that refers to architectural treatises while introducing adaptations to suit specific conditions. The digital reconstruction of the eighteenth-century church is based on the bibliographic and documentary sources analysed, on-site observations and surveys, as well as reflections on modularity, analogical reasoning, and stylistic and compositional considerations. The interior order of the church, the layout of the nave walls, side chapels, transept, presbytery and vaulted intrados have thus been hypothesised. The result is a critical reconstruction that offers a concise and coherent picture of the original layout and spatial character of the church prior to the 1783 earthquake.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
