Ricerc@Sapienza

The church of St. Peter in Alba Fucens (Italy), built on an ancient temple in the Roman city (3rd century BC) on the hill with the same name, is an interesting example of the architectural reuse of materials. The history of the church is marked by the violent earthquake of 1915, when a large part of the structure collapsed. It was rebuilt in the 1950s with the original elements recovered from the rubble. In this way, the church reuses elements of the old Tuscan temple, such as the foundations and the two Tuscan bases incorporated into the walls near the entrance, as well as the double row of Corinthian columns that shaped the three central naves of the church. An analysis of the capitals, shafts and bases allows us to classify the columns into two different groups (A and B), one referring to the period of Augustus’ consolidation of power after the battle of Actium (last three decades of the first century BC), and the other to the years between the first century BC and the first century AD.