The two strong earthquakes -- the first measuring 5.5 on the Richter and the second 6.1 -- that hit central Italy last week have left the village of Norcia in tatters, besides completely destroying several historic churches in the village.
The roof of Santa Maria delle Grazie, a 16th century church in the village that had been recently restored, completely caved in and its collapsed decorative ceiling could only be seen from outside, Efe news reported. Half of the marble plaques on the building's facade fell and lay crumbling in chunks and shards on the ground. Though its modest rose window and austere baroque door frame were saved, the metal cross that crowned the church collapsed during the earthquake on Wednesday night and lay twisted amid the debris.
The San Salvatore church in Campi di Norcia (a 14th century monument) however, was hit even harder by the tremor. Ironically, its collapse was captured by a television crew while broadcasting from disaster zone. When asked where it was, residents simply said it did not exist anymore.
Sadly, these aren't the only two historic monuments destroyed by external forces, natural or otherwise. Here's a list of five other important sites across the world that now stand destroyed thanks to natural disasters like earthquakes and cyclones occurring in the last decade.
In April 2015, many of Kathmandu valley’s most historically important buildings were destroyed in an earthquake. The Dharahara, a 60-metre white minaret tower built in in 1832 (one of the city's tallest monuments) was destroyed, while the Kasthamandap, a three-storey wooden temple in Durbar Square (perhaps the most significant building in Kathmandu), has also been reduced to piles of wood and rubble.
Besides historic buildings, Kathmandu also lost a lot of housing dating to medieval times, which is more difficult to replace and several centuries-old temples as well.
Experts, however, are hopeful that some buildings can be restored and point to the example of the Dharahara Tower, reconstructed after earthquakes in 1833 and 1934.
The Loboc Church is the second oldest church in Bohol, while the Baclayon Church is one of the best preserved Jesuit-built churches in the region. The last major earthquake to hit the area was in 1700. Many churches were also destroyed during that time.
The historic monuments were a major draw for foreigners to this impoverished country, where tourism is a key part of the economy, and served as a source of national pride.
Loboc Church and Baclayon Church, two of the oldest churches in the Philippines and declared National Cultural Treasures which is the highest recognition a country can bestow on cultural properties, were heavily damaged in 2013 after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit the province in October.
Christchurch's Catholic basilica has remained closed since the 2011 earthquake. Whether it will be restored or demolished is yet to be decided. Damage occurred to many older buildings, particularly those with unreinforced masonry and those built before stringent earthquakes codes were introduced. The earthquake destroyed the ChristChurch Cathedral's spire and part of its tower, and severely damaged the structure of the remaining building. The remainder of the tower was demolished in March 2012.
The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake, with an epicenter near the town of Léogâne, approximately 25 kilometres west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital. The earthquake caused major damage in Port-au-Prince, Jacmel and other settlements in the region. Notable landmark buildings were significantly damaged or destroyed, including the Presidential Palace, the National Assembly building, the Port-au-Prince Cathedral, and the main jail.
Cyclone Nargis left over 138,000 people dead and tens of thousands injured, and 2.5 million homeless in what was the worst natural disaster ever in Myanmar (Burma). Besides ethe ancient Shwedagon Paya temple complex in Yangon, oConstructed 2,500 years ago, the complex is one of Myanmar's most famous landmarks crowded with ornate, multi-tiered pagodas and dome-shaped trimmed in gold, some encrusted with jewels.
