Magnitude 6.0 1 Me Max. intensity IX–X Number of casualties 500 | Areas affected Italy, Lazio Date 7 October 1639 | |
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The 1639 Amatrice earthquake occurred on 7 October 1639 near Amatrice, in the upper valley of the river Tronto, at the time part of the Kingdom of Naples, now Italy.
History
The princes Orsini left the city destroyed by the earthquake, whose shock lasted fifteen minutes and caused about 500 deaths (although many bodies remained under the rubble). Damage was extimated between 400,000 and 1 million scudi of the time.
The next 14 October there was a strong aftershock.
Many inhabitants fled to the countryside, where tents were set up, while others found refuge in the church of San Domenico. Among the buildings destroyed or badly damaged, there were: the princes Orsini's palace (that at the time of the earthquake they were out of town), the Palazzo del Reggimento (Regiment's palace), the church of the Holy Crucifix, and other houses. Rosaries and processions were organized by the people to invoke the end of earthquakes. There were also heavy losses of the cattle (the main source of income at the time), which forced the population to migrate to Rome and Ascoli Piceno.
The effects of the earthquake were described in detail in a report published by Carlo Tiberi in 1639, subsequently revised and updated in a second edition of the same year.