La chiesa di Santa Maria della Verità a Benevento tra demolizioni e ricostruzioni

Following the devastating earthquake of 1688, Archbishop Francesco Maria Orsini promoted reconstruction of the church of Santa Maria della Verità, which can be reconstructed also after a corpus of architectural drawings. The first one (1692), by Giacomo Manerba, presents an octagonal plan, carefully drafted in graphite and ink, with walls highlighted in watercolor. After the collapse of the church in 1702, a new survey drawing recorded surviving structures, using color to distinguish standing and ruined parts. In 1779, Saverio Casselli’s project introduced a longitudinal single-nave plan. Two large, highly detailed drawings—plan, façade, and section—accompanied the contract, signed by the architect and builders. These graphic documents are crucial visual evidence of the church’s complex architectural history.