Oratorio di San Giuseppe de' Minimi

The Oratory of San Giuseppe de' Minimi stands on Via Roio, physically joined to the Basilica of San Giuseppe Artigiano. Opened in 1649, it preserves a Baroque interior within a building that has undergone major changes and restoration after the 2009 earthquake.

Why it matters

The oratory was founded under the Confraternity of the Suffragio and later passed to the Confraternity of San Giuseppe dei Minimi, from which it takes its name. Before the earthquake it served as a concert hall and home of the Solisti Aquilani chamber orchestra. Its history reflects the changing devotional and cultural life of L'Aquila.

What to notice

Architect Alberto Riccoboni altered the facade in 1930, removing its Baroque forms and adding a large circular window above the surviving fourteenth-century portal. Inside, the single hall preserves stuccoes, wooden furnishings, frescoed walls and a reconfigured high altar. The contrast between the restrained exterior and the restored interior reflects the building's successive phases.

Context and history

The oratory opened in 1649; work continued until 1701, when two altars were dedicated. It was damaged by the 1703 earthquake, and the Confraternity of the Suffragio moved elsewhere in 1708, taking the two altars with it. In 1770 the building was sold to the Confraternity of San Giuseppe dei Minimi, which acquired the adjoining church of San Biagio in 1819. The 2009 earthquake damaged the facade and interior. Restoration began in 2012 with a 1.7-million-euro donation from the government of Kazakhstan; the oratory was inaugurated again on 8 July 2013.