1348 Friuli earthquake
Encyclopedia
The earthquake of 25 January 1348, centered in the South Alpine region of Friuli
, was felt across Europe. The quake hit in the same year that the Great Plague ravaged Italy. It caused considerable damage to structures; churches and houses collapsed, villages were destroyed and foul odors emanated from the earth. Most of the damage reported was in Italy
(including places as far away as Naples
) and in Carinthia
. Striking in the early afternoon, in Venice
it caused hundreds of casualties and destroyed numerous buildings; in Carinthia to the northeast, the city of Villach
was largely destroyed by a landslip and a flood.
In Rome the earthquake took a toll as well; considerable damage was sustained by the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore
. In the Torre delle Milizie
an upper floor crumbled, and the structure assumed the slight tilt it retains today. The sixth-century basilica
of Santi Apostoli
was so utterly ruined that it was left in an abandoned state for a generation.
The earthquake coincided with the beginning of the Black Death
in Europe; in contemporary minds the two disasters were connected, as acts of God
, but accepted as something both tremendous and unexpected, and yet which also belonged to daily life. The historian of medicine A.G. Carmichael observes, "The earthquake of 25 January 1348 is likely to have fuelled and focused specifically apocalyptical fears more than plague did."
The earthquake figured in the diary of the German nun Christina Ebner
, and was reported in numerous city and abbey chronicles, which have given modern historians opportunities of making the "Friuli event" one of the most thoroughly studied medieval earthquakes.
Friuli
Friuli is an area of northeastern Italy with its own particular cultural and historical identity. It comprises the major part of the autonomous region Friuli-Venezia Giulia, i.e. the province of Udine, Pordenone, Gorizia, excluding Trieste...
, was felt across Europe. The quake hit in the same year that the Great Plague ravaged Italy. It caused considerable damage to structures; churches and houses collapsed, villages were destroyed and foul odors emanated from the earth. Most of the damage reported was in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
(including places as far away as Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
) and in Carinthia
Duchy of Carinthia
The Duchy of Carinthia was a duchy located in southern Austria and parts of northern Slovenia. It was separated from the Duchy of Bavaria in 976, then the first newly created Imperial State beside the original German stem duchies....
. Striking in the early afternoon, in Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
it caused hundreds of casualties and destroyed numerous buildings; in Carinthia to the northeast, the city of Villach
Villach
Villach is the second largest city in the Carinthia state in the southern Austria, at the Drava River and represents an important traffic junction for Austria and the whole Alpe-Adria region. , the population is 58,480.-History:...
was largely destroyed by a landslip and a flood.
In Rome the earthquake took a toll as well; considerable damage was sustained by the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore
Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore
The Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major , known also by other names, is the largest Roman Catholic Marian church in Rome, Italy.There are other churches in Rome dedicated to Mary, such as Santa Maria in Trastevere, Santa Maria in Aracoeli, Santa Maria sopra Minerva, but the greater size of the...
. In the Torre delle Milizie
Torre delle Milizie
The Torre delle Milizie is a tower in Rome, Italy, annexed to the Trajan's Market in the Imperial fora.One of the main medieval monuments of the city, the tower is on a square plan, its base sides measure 10.5 x 9.5 m, and it currently stands at almost 50 meters...
an upper floor crumbled, and the structure assumed the slight tilt it retains today. The sixth-century basilica
Basilica
The Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building, usually located in the forum of a Roman town. Public basilicas began to appear in Hellenistic cities in the 2nd century BC.The term was also applied to buildings used for religious purposes...
of Santi Apostoli
Santi Apostoli
The Church of the Twelve Holy Apostles is a 6th century Roman Catholic parish and titular church and minor basilica in Rome, Italy, dedicated originally to St. James and St. Philip and later to all Apostles...
was so utterly ruined that it was left in an abandoned state for a generation.
The earthquake coincided with the beginning of the Black Death
Black Death
The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. Of several competing theories, the dominant explanation for the Black Death is the plague theory, which attributes the outbreak to the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Thought to have...
in Europe; in contemporary minds the two disasters were connected, as acts of God
Act of God
Act of God is a legal term for events outside of human control, such as sudden floods or other natural disasters, for which no one can be held responsible.- Contract law :...
, but accepted as something both tremendous and unexpected, and yet which also belonged to daily life. The historian of medicine A.G. Carmichael observes, "The earthquake of 25 January 1348 is likely to have fuelled and focused specifically apocalyptical fears more than plague did."
The earthquake figured in the diary of the German nun Christina Ebner
Christina Ebner
Sister Christina Ebner, O.P., , was a German Dominican nun, writer and mystic.-Biography:...
, and was reported in numerous city and abbey chronicles, which have given modern historians opportunities of making the "Friuli event" one of the most thoroughly studied medieval earthquakes.
Further reading
- Arno Borst, Das Erdbeben von 1348 ein historischer Beitrag zur Katastrophenforschung (1981)
- C. Hammerl "The earthquake of January 25, 1348: Reconstruction of a natural occurrence" 1997. Based on Hammerl's 1992 dissertation. Das Erdbeben vom 25. Jänner 1348–Rekonstruktion des Naturereignisses
- R. Gutdeutsch and W. Lenhardt, "Seismological interpretation of the South Alpine earthquake of January 25th, 1348". European Seismological Conference XXV (1996).