The article reports on the restoration efforts of the Basilica of Saint Francis in Assisi, Italy, following severe damage caused by earthquakes in 1997. The anniversary of Saint Francis' death marks an opportunity to highlight how modern technology such as digital photography and artificial intelligence is being used to preserve and restore this historic site, which attracts millions of visitors annually. Experts including art historians and software engineers are working with the Franciscan Friars to recreate a virtual version of the basilica in ultra-high-definition detail.
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using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
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Saturday marked the 800th anniversary of the death of one of Christianity's superstars, Saint Francis of Assisi.
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Saturday → mark → Assisi
Every year, millions of visitors flock to the basilica in Assisi to celebrate the miracles attributed to one of Italy's patron saints.
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millions → flock → saints
That the church is still standing is a miracle itself.
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church → stand → ?
It has survived war, fire and flood.
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It → survive → war
But nothing left more devastation than a pair of powerful earthquakes that struck in 1997 — cratering the roof and leaving countless art treasures permanently damaged.
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that → leave → treasures
Now, a team of art historians and software engineers have joined forces with the Franciscan Friars to try to finish the restoration — this time with the help of digital wizardry and artificial intelligence.
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team → join → wizardry
We had to find out more.
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Seven centuries ago, the friars knew a good location when they saw it.
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they → know → it
What was once a barren hill in Umbria where criminals swung from gallows was transformed into this: the Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi, the magnificent resting place of one of Christianity's most beloved saints.
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criminals → swing → saints
Sometimes called the original hippie, Francis rejected his family's wealth for a life of poverty.
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Francis → call → poverty
Medieval masters couldn't resist the story of the radical monk and lined up to paint it.
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masters → resist → it
But in 1997 the great church almost came crashing down.
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church → come → 1997
Two quakes hit one after another.
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quakes → hit → another
A section of the soaring roof collapsed.
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section → soar → roof
A thick mushroom cloud filled with the soot of priceless art rolled down the aisle.
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cloud → fill → aisle
Four people were killed by falling rubble.
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people → kill → rubble
Everything was destroyed, was unsafe.
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Everything → destroy → ?
Really, I remember.
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I → remember → ?
I cannot forget it.
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I → forget → it
I saw the arch dancing like this.
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arch → see → this
I think people cannot believe it, but I saw it.
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I → think → it
Friar Guilio Cesareo — like Julius Cesar but with an "o" he told us — was a student here at the time.
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he → tell → time
Earthquakes still scare him.
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Earthquakes → scare → him
If I have the impression that there is something shaking, maybe it's just the wind, immediately I feel you know sort of cold coming from inside.
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you → have → impression
It was a shock that galvanized a desperate salvage operation.
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that → galvanize → operation
Restorers worked to heal the broken bodies of the saints.
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Restorers → work → saints
It was painstaking work and not all the pieces fit.
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pieces → fit → ?
No wonder the friars jumped at the chance to use 21st century technologies to restore their 13th century home.
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friars → jump → home
Right now we are digitizing in a super-high-definition this fresco — which is St. Francis talking to the Arles chapter
Giovanni Borelli is leading the project to create a digital twin of the basilica.
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Borelli → digitize → basilica
Borelli is the CTO of Haltadefinizione, a technology company that specializes in ultra-high-definition gigapixel photography.
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that → specialize → photography
This is no ordinary camera I take it?
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I → take → it
It's a robotic camera that we use to take a super-high-definition images.
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we → use → images
So you can see all the smallest details of the work of art, the strokes of the painting, of the brush.
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you → see → brush
You can see everything in great detail.
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You → see → detail
Giovanni Borelli: You know, you have a mobile camera.
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you → know → camera
So you with your camera and the pictures can see things that the human eye cannot?
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eye → see → things
Using cameras, drones and lasers, Borelli's team will take hundreds of thousands of pictures, stitching them together to create the most high resolution 3D blueprint of a building ever made.
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team → use → building
If disaster strikes this earthquake zone again, restorers will have an exact road map to rebuild.
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restorers → strike → map
For him, high-tech help arrived too late.
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help → arrive → him
He asked us to follow him down a narrow passageway to the hidden storage rooms beneath the church.
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He → ask → church
…and 54 more, not listed.
The Aporia
