There are two churches in Forlì affected by the Pnrr funds set up by the Ministry of Culture for seismic safety measures and restoration of places of worship: Santa Maria in Fornò which receives 740 thousand euros and the cathedral with 550 thousand euros. In particular, the sanctuary of Fornò encounters an important problem of humidity and damage to the vertical load-bearing structures, caused by subsidence of the foundation soil, elements which, in the event of an earthquake, can determine a high vulnerability of the structure.
“The lesions – explain Alice Buonguerrieri, deputy and provincial president of Fratelli d’Italia, and Vincenzo Bongiorno, municipal coordinator of FdI and candidate for the next administrative elections – are mainly located in the western area and demonstrate the need to act quickly to consolidate the land, on which aquifers are present”. A rehabilitation work is therefore planned with the creation of a drainage structure and the insertion of submersible pumps for water collection. After having addressed the causes of the instability, it will be possible to intervene on the degraded surfaces. The construction of a new structural slab against the ground is also envisaged, which will allow the walls to be consolidated and connected; as well as creating a heating system to allow the use of the sanctuary even in winter. We will also proceed with the restoration of the works of art present in the building.
However, as regards the cathedral, the restoration works of the seventeenth-century chapel of the Madonna del Fuoco were financed, where the marble slabs that cover it are above all at risk, and the liturgical adaptation of the presbytery area. “Also planned – continue Buonguerrieri and Bongiorno – is the structural consolidation of the dome and foundations, the restoration of the marble cladding and the decorative apparatus, also in the left side nave, the creation of a new lighting and audio diffusion system and the adaptation of the presbytery with new liturgical centers”. The two exponents of Fratelli d’Italia recall that it was a commitment made by the Minister of Cultural Heritage Gennaro Sangiuliano on the occasion of his visit to the city. “We thank him. The Government is attentive to the territory.”
Marino Mambelli, Culture representative and candidate for councilor of the RinnoviAmo Forlì civic list in support of Graziano Rinaldini, rejoices over the allocation of funds: “Obtaining the financing was granted after the dioceses of Romagna had been rejected in the first instance by the important projects presented”. Then he focuses mainly on Fornò: “The working group dedicated to the sanctuary, made up of technicians and volunteers and coordinated by Don Mauro Ballestra, achieved great technical-administrative success which led to the inclusion of Fornò and other sacred buildings in the ranking that allows access to financing. We contacted the architect Claudio Giannelli, director of the office for ecclesiastical cultural heritage, who said he was particularly satisfied. The project is linked to an in-depth study that the diocese and the community have conducted with great sensitivity and competence”.
