“The restoration of the Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi involved an interdisciplinary team that included art historians, conservators, engineers, and computer scientists.”

On the occasion of the 25th Anniversary of the launching of Roots of Peace (1997–2022), ... Roots of Peace Founder/CEO Heidi Kuhn will partner with the City of San Francisco, where it took root nearly a quarter of a century ago, and its sister city, Assisi, Italy, by giving a leadership gift of $5000 to restore a 17th Century wall fresco on Assisi’s Via Frate Elia, which leads to the town’s magnificent Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi.

“Restituito alla comunità l'Altare di Sant'Antonio in San Francesco d'Assisi a Matera. L’altare torna nella chiesa di San Francesco dopo il restauro condotto dall’Istituto Centrale per il Restauro…” “L’Istituto Centrale per il Restauro svolge attività di ricerca, formazione e intervento, con approccio interdisciplinare che integra competenze storico-artistiche, tecnico-scientifiche e diagnostiche.”

After years of painstaking restoration, Assisi's medieval St. Francis basilica has been returned to much of its former beauty. The Italian minister for Cultural Heritage, Rocco Buttiglione on Wednesday unveiled the final stage of the restoration which was also the most difficult one.

“Le professionalità implicate (a parte gli operatori d’emergenza, in particolare i Vigili del Fuoco, e i volontari non specializzati) sono state numerosissime, in particolare il restauratore di opere d’arte, lo storico d’arte, il fotografo, l’architetto, il geometra, il grafico, l’informatico, il fisico, il chimico, il biologo, l’elaboratore di immagine.” “In quanto responsabile dell’attività di coordinamento [ICR], eccone di seguito alcune [indagini]: sistema fisico di deumidificazione della parete nord della Basilica Superiore… studio per il ripristino del monitoraggio microclimatico antecedente al sisma…”

Aramid fibres are used to strengthen the vaults of the upper nave in the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, after the last important and destructive earthquake of Sept. 26, 1997. These interventions are divided into two subsequent stages: the preliminary urgent intervention, made just few weeks after that earthquake to eliminate the risks, and then the definitive intervention to provide the final safety levels.

An intriguing blend of high-tech engineering, cutting-edge computer technology and the exacting science of the restorer's art, the reconstruction will render the basilica virtually earthquake-proof. The Upper Church of the basilica, closed since the earthquake, is scheduled to reopen after two years of painstaking reconstruction.

The article describes a contemporary project: “The ongoing project, led by Haltadefinizione in collaboration with the General Custody of the Sacred Convent of Saint Francis, will result in the creation of a scientifically accurate digital documentation of the entire monumental complex.” It explains that this “involves 3D surveying of both the interior and exterior spaces, as well as gigapixel digitization of all the painted cycles,” producing ultra‑high‑resolution images and 3D models. This digital initiative uses advanced imaging and data technologies for preservation and access, but it is framed as a project of a cultural‑heritage imaging company, not as an interdisciplinary restoration team explicitly including computer scientists; it is also distinct in time from the immediate post‑1997 restoration campaign.

Reporting on a new initiative involving the shattered Cimabue fresco, the article states: “Experts are using artificial intelligence (AI) to help reassemble a priceless fresco… that was reduced to tens of thousands of fragments when earthquakes devastated a 13th‑century basilica in central Italy nearly 30 years ago.” It notes that the project is “headed by the Galleria Nazionale dell’Umbria in Perugia, and the engineering department of Perugia University” and that the team is trying “to determine whether AI can help reconstruct the shattered section,” working from a high‑resolution pre‑earthquake photograph. This shows current collaboration between museum curators, engineers and AI tools on the same basilica’s fresco, but it concerns a recent feasibility study rather than the original post‑1997 restoration and does not identify computer scientists by discipline or include art historians explicitly as part of the AI team.

The restoration of the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. Auteurs. Croci, Giorgio. Auteurs institutionnels. ICOMOS Spain. Lieu de publication. 103 p.

This academic paper uses another Assisi basilica as an example: “Using the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli in Assisi as a case study, the research demonstrates how digitization processes applied to cultural heritage can support conservation, documentation and public dissemination.” The authors describe collaboration between conservators, architects, engineers and ICT specialists to produce 3D models and high‑resolution documentation. While this shows that digital heritage projects in Assisi involve technical and ICT expertise alongside conservation, it concerns a different basilica and does not document the specific restoration team of the Basilica of St Francis of Assisi after the 1997 earthquake.

The restoration was a remarkable achievement completed in just over two years. It involved the reconstruction of collapsed vaults and approximately 200 square meters of frescoes. A total of 300,000 fragments were meticulously recovered, thanks to the efforts of students from the University of Tuscia, faculty and students from the Central Institute for Restoration, and the Superintendency of Umbria.

A brief news item from 2012 reports: “The structural damage done to the basilica of St. Francis of Assisi by an earthquake in 1997 has been repaired. As part of the enormous restoration effort, workers repaired the chapel of St. Nicholas, in the lower basilica, which for years had been closed to visitors.” It characterises the campaign as an “enormous restoration effort” but gives no details of the professional composition of the team; no reference is made to computer scientists or an interdisciplinary group that specifically includes art historians, conservators, engineers and computer scientists.

“Proseguono così i lavori di manutenzione e restauro secondo un progetto avviato 15 anni fa per le pareti affrescate della chiesa inferiore della Basilica che conserva le spoglie di San Francesco.” “Accanto a lui il capo restauratore Sergio Fusetti… Ricorda che le fasi dell’intervento di restauro… sono state il consolidamento degli strati preparatori degli affreschi, l’asportazione dello strato di sporco e infine la revisione degli interventi precedenti… L'operazione è durata otto mesi, impegnando sette restauratori.”

“Il ponteggio per il cantiere di restauro della Cappella della Maddalena si è sviluppato su cinque piani, per dieci metri di altezza. L’equipe dei restauratori, diretta dal capo restauratore della Basilica, il prof. Sergio Fusetti, ha operato su 300 metri quadri di superficie pittorica per quasi un anno…” “Il complesso intervento ha coinvolto restauratori specializzati in dipinti murali, storici dell’arte e tecnici per il monitoraggio microclimatico e l’illuminazione, in costante dialogo con la comunità del Sacro Convento.”

“Giuseppe Basile ha effettuato la Direzione lavori, il coordinamento e la supervisione dei più importanti interventi di conservazione e restauro per conto dell’Istituto Centrale per il Restauro alla Basilica di S. Francesco ad Assisi.” “Tra le pubblicazioni principali sul cantiere figurano saggi dedicati alle indagini diagnostiche, ai problemi strutturali dell’edificio, allo studio storico-artistico del ciclo pittorico e all’elaborazione digitale dell’immagine per il riconoscimento dei frammenti.”

The 1997 Assisi earthquake caused major damage to the Upper Basilica of St. Francis, leading to a restoration project that brought together architects, structural engineers, art historians, conservators, physicists/material scientists, and digital imaging/IT specialists. Published accounts of the project often emphasize the use of interdisciplinary methods, including 3D documentation and computer-assisted reconstruction of fresco fragments. However, specific public sources do not always list 'computer scientists' by that exact title.

For the first time in eight centuries, the mortal remains of St. Francis of Assisi are being exposed for an extended period ...

The documentary “Il restauro della Basilica di Assisi” (part 2), curated by Giuseppe Basile (2007), explains that after the 1997 earthquake “teams of restorers, art historians, architects and structural engineers worked together with imaging and computer specialists to catalogue and reassemble the painted fragments.” The narrator describes “the use of digital image processing and databases” as an integral part of the operation, in support of traditional conservation and art-historical analysis.

The speaker describes the restoration as involving 600,000 work hours and says restorers pieced fresco fragments back together. The talk mentions special tools and the use of computers and technology in reconstructing the damaged frescoes, though it is a non-peer-reviewed presentation and should be treated cautiously.