La basilica di San Sebastiano fuori le mura a Roma: interventi di miglioramento statico sulle coperture del deambulatorio.

The basilica of San Sebastiano, a cemetery and is located on the fourth mile of the ancient Via Appia, it was built at the behest of Emperor Constantine in the 4th century AD. in honor of the Apostles Peter and Paul. At the beginning of the 4th century, in the catacombs below, San Sebastiano, martyr-soldier at the time of Diocletian, was buried and the basilica was later dedicated to him. The façade is punctuated by the paired Ionic columns of the portico, with three arches, which correspond to the pilasters of the upper order. The Constantinian basilica was built imitating the models of circuses, with a central nave and a horseshoe-shaped path around it. It was preceded by a large quadrangular atrium. In 1608 Cardinal Scipione Borghese undertook a complete remodeling of the basilica and crypt of San Sebastiano based on a design by Flaminio Ponzo. The restoration was completed by Giovanni Vasanzio while the façade dated 1612 is designed by Flaminio Ponzo. The new building occupies the ancient central nave and boasts a carved wooden ceiling: it depicts the titular saint and the coats of arms of Cardinal Scipione Borghese and Pope Gregory XVI. At the end of the central nave there is the main altar designed by Flaminio Ponzio; above there is a canvas “The Crucifi xion” by Innocenzo Tacconi and on the sides the busts of Saints Peter and Paul by Nicolas Cordier. The attention of the intervention carried out by the staff of the Appia Archaeological Park with funds from the FEC focuses on the restoration of the roofs and on the safety measures relating to the crack pattern established after the 2016 earthquake. The intervention on the roof concerns the restoration of 3 half trusses, which had been recently made with poor quality material. The cracked trusses have been removed and replaced with similar structures in chestnut wood; the model of the trusses was based on late antique models. The design reference was that of the roof of S.Maria della Quercia, where the models of the Massenzian-Constantinian basilicas were perpetuated. The cracked apse was only secured with structural mesh and monitored with glass double beams.