by Stefano Marchetti
MODENA
Twelve years ago in Finale Emilia, throughout the Lower Modena area, in the nearby Ferrara area and in the towns of Bologna there was rubble, pain, tears, fear. The earth continued to shake, the towers had collapsed, houses, churches, buildings, factories had been torn apart. Those of the earthquake were among the most terrible days that this region has ever experienced: the earthquake caused 28 deaths, 300 injuries, 45 thousand displaced people and damages for more than 12 billion euros. It was tiring, it was difficult and even complicated, but step by step we started to live again, to rebuild. And every time a light goes back on, it’s always a celebration.
Just like in Finale, where next Sunday, twelve years after that night of terror, the ancient Cathedral which was one of the first symbols of the earthquake will reopen. Already at dawn on May 20, 2012, the photos of the rubble that had invaded the entire churchyard went around the world. “It’s like returning from a long exile”, smiles with relief Don Daniele Bernabei, parish priest of Finale. The works for the restoration of the Cathedral began on 25 March 2019, they had to face the Covid period and all the increases in raw material prices: the overall investment – financed by the Region through the Public Works and Cultural Heritage Program – is amounted to just over six million euros. The rediscovered wonder of the Duomo shines and enchants. Dedicated to Saints Philip and James the Apostles, the church already had an ancestor in the 13th century but was rebuilt and enlarged between the end of the 1400s and the first half of the 16th century: as we see them today, with their baroque charm, the interiors they date back to the 18th century. A curiosity: until 2002 the Cathedral of Finale was owned by the Municipality (and in fact the civic coat of arms also appears in the center of the nave), then it was handed over to the parish.
Sunday afternoon in Finale will be a great celebration with the solemn celebration presided over by Monsignor Erio Castellucci, archbishop of Modena and vice-president of the Italian Episcopal Conference. There will also be a bell concert and even a special philatelic postmark. “For all of us it also means recovering a sense of community”, underlines Elisa Cavallini, councilor for culture. And – as a special guest – the precious painting by Guercino depicting the Madonna, Child and San Lorenzo which the artist from Cento created exactly four centuries ago for Finale has also returned.
After the earthquake, 495 churches were damaged throughout the crater, of which 325 were unusable: to date – underlines the Region – resources of 382 million euros have been allocated to 478 buildings and – Davide Baruffi informed yesterday in Finale, undersecretary to the Presidency of the Region – 371 churches have already been recovered and reopened for worship. In the diocese of Modena, another seven will reopen within the year. But, of course, there are also many historic buildings which – precisely due to the complexity of the interventions and the obvious needs for careful protection – still await a future. Churches devastated by the earthquake, such as that of San Felice sul Panaro, historic buildings, theaters still closed. On public works and cultural heritage, 734 construction sites have been completed and 457 are underway. There is still work to be done, but a light that comes back on is always a sign of rebirth.
