The residents of Atina who chose to stay worked tirelessly together to gradually rebuild their lives and restore and repair their beloved Atina. Over the course of many years, the town has been rebuilt; however, if you look very closely, many of the buildings still bear the scars of the bombing and shelling.
On 18 October 1947, an impressive ceremony was held in Atina in the presence of civil and religious authorities. The restoration work on the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta was finally completed, in accordance with the plans drawn up by Prof. Cherubino Malpeli, architect, and Mr Di Renzi, engineer. In particular, a new dome had been built and, on this occasion, an iron cross was to be installed upon it, a symbol of faith and hope for peace. The following inscription had been engraved on the cross: “The fury of war that destroyed Atina between 9 September 1943 and May 1944 caused very serious damage to this 200-year-old cathedral“.
On that day, the parish priest, Monsignor Arturo Di Cosmo, in the presence of a large crowd of the faithful, had the unenviable task of being suspended some 36 metres above the ground for the ceremony of the blessing of the cross. The bells rang out joyfully, as if to invoke God’s blessing upon Atina, a town that had been reborn and was eager to live.
Thanks to Louise Shapcott
