The Bombing of July 1993
The basilica of San Giorgio in Velabro lies in the area that
tradition assigns to the finding of Romulus and Remus by the
she-wolf. In this place where the history of Rome symbolically
began, a violent act took place which was intended to harm the
entire city, its history, and its culture. A car bomb of great strength, parked close
to the Basilica's facade, exploded
at midnight between 27 and 28 July 1993. Considerable damage
was done to basilica. The explosion caused the nearly total collapse
of the twelfth century portico, created a large opening into
the wall of the Basilica, and seriously damaged many aspects
of this ancient church. The residence of the Generalate of the
Crosiers (Canons Regular of the Order of the Holy Cross), next
door, was also seriously damaged. Fortunately, no one was killed,
but some residents remained hospitalized for weeks.
Immediately, in the days following the attack, the technicians
of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage mobilized and carried out
the monumental task of research and cataloguing the materials
which were damaged or destroyed as a result of the bomb. The
material was catalogued and placed in 1050 crates to which the
date and the topographical references were added.
The Basilica of San George in Velabro, seriously damaged from
an act of cruelty, is today completely restored after almost
five years of intense work. Some details of the basilica, particularly
in the portico, have been intentionally left unrestored as a
sign which speak to us about an event that is a painful episode
in the long history of this basilica. which dates from at least the
late VII century. It is a testimony, a faith testimony, to the
city of Rome that it has made such an effort to recover its history
and art in the face of such an act of cruelty.
