Basilica of San Bernardino

The Basilica of San Bernardino is a religious building located in L'Aquila, Italy. The church was built, with the adjacent cloister, between 1454 and 1472 in honor of St Bernardino of Siena. The facade was built by Silvestro dall'Aquila and later passed to Cola dell'Amatrice, reaching completion in 1542. It is a notable example of 16th century architecture combining Greek, Latin and Christian influences, divided into three orders, consisting of Doric, Ionic and Corinthian styles. The corpse of the saint is guarded inside the church in a mausoleum built by Silvestro dell'Aquila. In 1902, the basilica was declared a national monumental building, and in 1946, Pope Pius XII elevated it to the rank of minor basilica. Following the 2009 earthquake, which caused significant damage to the apse and campanile, repairs and consolidation works were carried out before the basilica was reopened to the community in 2015. In December 2014, the Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Activities began managing the basilica through the Abruzzo Museum Complex, which became the Regional Directorate of Museums in December 2019.