The presence on the Italian territory of historical paths, along which have arisen networks of religious buildings, draws attention to a very rich architectural and landscape heritage, today largely ruined or reduced to conditions of advanced neglect. Since the 6th century, a network of abbeys, churches and monasteries, linked to the cult of St. Michele Arcangelo and widespread in the Garganic land, supported the sacred routes travelled by pilgrims, often on the track of the oldest paths. Nowadays very little of that system remains: the ancient routes have been forgotten or replaced by new infrastructures; few buildings are still in use and in a good state of conservation, but many others are reduced to ruins, mainly due to their distance from urban centres and traffic routes. This paper tries to retrace the articulated story of some of these buildings, based on careful readings of their geometry, formal structure and residual material. In addition to the establishment of a network linking buildings that are each inseparable from their own context, and often with a strong impact on the landscape, the paper provides a necessary underpinning for wide-ranging restoration projects. These must be free from confusion between conservation and speculation and supporting enhancement and proper recovery actions.

The immaterial inheritance of the pilgrimage routes in the Gargano area

Verazzo Clara
;
2019-01-01

Abstract

The presence on the Italian territory of historical paths, along which have arisen networks of religious buildings, draws attention to a very rich architectural and landscape heritage, today largely ruined or reduced to conditions of advanced neglect. Since the 6th century, a network of abbeys, churches and monasteries, linked to the cult of St. Michele Arcangelo and widespread in the Garganic land, supported the sacred routes travelled by pilgrims, often on the track of the oldest paths. Nowadays very little of that system remains: the ancient routes have been forgotten or replaced by new infrastructures; few buildings are still in use and in a good state of conservation, but many others are reduced to ruins, mainly due to their distance from urban centres and traffic routes. This paper tries to retrace the articulated story of some of these buildings, based on careful readings of their geometry, formal structure and residual material. In addition to the establishment of a network linking buildings that are each inseparable from their own context, and often with a strong impact on the landscape, the paper provides a necessary underpinning for wide-ranging restoration projects. These must be free from confusion between conservation and speculation and supporting enhancement and proper recovery actions.
2019
978-2-930301-67-9
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11564/713430
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