L’Aquila

(Aquila until 1863 and Aquila degli Abruzzi until 1939) is an Italian town of about 70,000 habitants, capital of the province of the same name and the region of Abruzzo.

L’Aquila rises in the homonymous basin on the banks of the Aterno river at an altitude of 721 m above sea level, which makes it the third highest of the Italian provincial capitals.

In Roman times there were two large urban centres in the area. The town of Amiternum, of Sabine origin to the north, and the town of Forcona, of Vestine origin to the south.

After the fall of the Roman Empire, many small urban centres known as castles were created in the L’Aquila basin.

On the death of Emperor Federico II, the inhabitants of the castles, tired of the continuous feudal domination, obtained permission to found the city of L’Aquila as a free city.

The territory was divided into four quarters corresponding to four large areas where each castle had to build its houses, church and public fountain in the square in front of it. This gave rise to the various quarters and some jewels of L’Aquila’s Romanesque sacred architecture, such as the churches of S. Maria Paganica, S. Giusta, S. Pietro di Coppito and S. Silvestro.

In 1254 the city was granted a foundation charter by King Corrado IV.

The number of castles that contributed to the foundation of the town has not been ascertained. Tradition has it that there were 99, but it would seem that the actual number is around 70. In memory of this tradition, the bell of the Civic Tower (the Reatinella) strikes 99 times, and the city’s first great monument, the Fountain of the 99 Spouts, contributes to this tradition.

Another myth links L’Aquila to the Order of the Knights Templar. Indeed, the religious architecture of the L’Aquila area in the 12th and 13th centuries often features numerous iconographies and symbols referring to the Crusaders or the Order of the Templars. Traces of this past have been the subject of scientific research and speculation (e.g. on the symbolism of the Basilica of Collemaggio), partly in the light of the strong ties that Pietro del Morrone, later Pope Celestino V, had with the Templars.

In the Middle Ages it underwent the vicissitudes of the time, with wars, occupation, decadence and resurgence until, in the 15th century, it became the second most important city in the kingdom after Naples.

In 1527, the citizens of L’Aquila rebelled against the new Spanish ruler, provoking immediate reprisals. The viceroy Filiberto di Chalons devastated it and separated it from its countryside. He imposed a heavy fine, which exceeded all the possibilities of the people of L’Aquila, and with this money he contributed to the construction of the Spanish Fort, whose portal bears the inscription Ad reprimendam aquilanorum audaciam, or ‘for the repression of the audacity of the people of L’Aquila‘. Afterwards, the city tried hard to get back on its feet, but its recovery was slowed down again by the earthquakes of 1646 and 1672.

With the unification of Italy (1861), the city was assigned the role of capital of the geographical region of Abruzzi and Molise and on that occasion the name of the city was changed to Aquila degli Abruzzi.

In 1927, as part of the provincial reorganisation ordered by the Fascist regime, the provinces of Pescara and Rieti were established, with the transfer of the municipalities of Bussi sul Tirino and Popoli to the former and the entire Cittaducale district, with a total of about 70,000 inhabitants, to the latter.

In 1939 the city, following the amalgamation of eight small neighbouring municipalities, took the definitive name of L’Aquila.

In 1970, the Abruzzo Region was officially created. The decision to locate many councillors in Pescara provoked numerous reactions and controversies in the city. This was followed by real unrest and clashes in the streets, the so-called L’Aquila Riots. The final agreement recognises the city’s role as the capital of Abruzzo, sharing it with Pescara, which will host

Celestino V and the L’Aquila Jubilee

In 1288 the hermit Pietro da Morrone decided to build the basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio in L’Aquila, an authoritative example of Romanesque art and the city’s symbolic monument. The hermit was crowned pope with the name of Celestino V on 29th August 1294 in the basilica he had strongly desired.
 On that occasion, Pope Celestino V issued a bull granting a plenary and universal indulgence to all mankind. The Bull is still valid today and anticipated by six years the introduction of the Holy Year, which took place at the behest of Pope Boniface VIII in 1300 and can therefore be considered the first jubilee in history.

The bull set the following conditions for obtaining the pardon: entering the basilica in the evenings of 28 and 29 August each year and being ‘truly repentant and confessed’. Celestino V’s door on the north side of the basilica is therefore to all intents and purposes a Holy Door.

On 28 August each year (the 726th edition in 2020), the ‘Perdonanza Celestiniana’ is celebrated with an impressive historical-religious event in costume, much appreciated by the people of L’Aquila and attracting tourists from abroad.

Since 2011, the feast has been “Heritage of Italy for Tradition” and in 2019 it was included in the UNESCO “Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity”.