Church of San Pietro Apostolo almost completely rebuilt
Six years after the disastrous earthquake in L'Aquila province, the rebuilding of medieval church San Pietro Apostolo in Onna is alomst complete. Germany provided 3.5 Million euros for earthquake-proof reconstruction. State Secretary at the Federal Building Ministry Gunther Adler and his counterpart Ilaria Borletti Buitoni, Undersecretary at the Italian Ministry of Culture, visited the site to learn about the final phase of construction.
State Secretary Adler commented: "I must congratulate Italy on this model reconstruction. The skilled workmanship and structural design are impressive."
After two years of construction, the church is almost ready for service. Only some of the interior works like pews and organ have yet to be installed. All historical findings were taken into account so that the building was reconstructed as closely to the original church as possible. The church will be inaugurated before the end of the year.
The earthquake in L'Aquila province on 6 April 2009 not only destroyed this church from the 12th century, but also around 90 per cent of the village of Onna. 41 of the 280 residents lost their lives in the disaster, and the region is still suffering from the impact.
Germany offered its help directly after the earthquake in 2009. The Federation funded the reconstruction of the church with up to 3.5 million euros. The German embassy assisted by setting up a new parish community centre in the vicinity of the church. Germany focused its reconstruction aid on Onna in Central Italy, where on 17 June 1944 German soldiers shot 17 civilians.