In Norcia, a city that considers itself the birthplace of pork sausages, three of the most important churches were heavily damaged.
According to a preliminary list compiled by the Carabinieri Art Squad, the 14th century basilica of Saint Benedict of Nursia, , which had already been damaged by earlier recent quakes, has almost entirely collapsed, and only its facade still stands; the same fate befell the 16th century Cathedral of Saint Mary Argentea and a former gothic church-turned-concert hall. A 15th century church, San Salvatore in Campi, had been shattered in an earthquake on Wednesday.
Sunday’s quake was the strongest of a recent flurry of earthquakes. It registered 6.5 on the Richter scale, according to Italy’s National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology, and was felt the entire length of the Italian boot. It struck at 7:40 a.m., local time. The strongest hit areas were Le Marche and Umbria.
(Sourced from agencies, feature image courtesy:ndtv.com)
