The international scientific mission promoted by the Department of Geosciences of the University of Malta and the Municipality of Lago will begin in the coming weeks, with the aim of carrying out a non-invasive geophysical investigation in the area of the ancient complex of Santa Maria degli Angeli di Lago (Cosenza), where historical tradition places the burial of the Blessed Fra Bernardo dello Spirito Santo, founder of the convent of the Discalced Augustinians.
The mission is part of a broader process of valorisation of the historical, cultural and religious heritage of the area. The investigations will be carried out using latest generation geophysical technologies, including ground penetrating radar (GPR), which allow the subsoil to be explored without resorting to excavations, identifying any wall structures, cavities, crypts or burials.
The initiative represents an important example of the application of geosciences to the protection and enhancement of cultural heritage, bringing together skills in geophysics, archaeology, history and geography.
As emerges from the historical documentation, recently reviewed by the Arch. Francesco Mazzotta, the Blessed Fra Bernardo dello Spirito Santo, died in Lago in 1614 and was buried with great devotion by the local population. In the following years, the convent of Santa Maria degli Angeli was built, becoming one of the main centers of the Discalced Augustinians in Calabria. The possible identification of the burial or other structures still preserved underground would constitute a result of great scientific, historical and cultural importance.
The initiative will be carried out with the support of the Municipality of Lago, which has long supported the project of valorising the area of the ancient church and the historical evidence connected to it. The request to carry out a ground penetrating radar survey arises precisely from the municipal administration’s interest in ascertaining the presence of any buried structures and the possible tomb of the Blessed Fra Bernardo, as a prerequisite for future recovery and valorisation interventions on the site.
The international collaboration began thanks to the initiative of the geographer Francesco De Pascale, promoter of the dialogue between the Department of Geosciences of the University of Malta, represented by the Director Sebastiano D’Amico and the researcher Emanuele Colica, and the Municipality of Lago, thus favoring the birth of the scientific mission.
The mission represents a significant example of how scientific research can contribute to knowledge of the past and the sustainable valorization of territorial heritage, creating a bridge between technological innovation, historical memory and cultural development of local communities.