San Benedetto alla Canapina: una “chiesa-torre” come cerniera verticale tra la città vecchia e la città nuova

St. Benedict’s former church, or the 'tower-church' as it is commonly known, has a profound architectural and symbolic connection with the Etruscan wall surrounding the Perugia acropolis. This wall penetrates the interior of the church, becoming part of the structure itself. It is probable that the church was originally constructed as an integral reinforcement of the wall structure, which was prone to frequent collapses due to the prevalence of landslides in the area. The church, which was built in accordance with Benedictine canon and exhibits Gothic architectural features, underwent numerous transformations over the centuries, as did the wall itself. Accordingly, the present study is predicated on an examination of the two elements in conjunction with one another, rather than as discrete entities. An investigation of the church's genesis cannot be dissociated from an analysis of the ancient layout on which it stands. The historical and archival information available, albeit scarce, when combined with the visual investigation of the external and internal masonry, has allowed for a historical-morphological reconstruction of the church spanning almost a millennium of history. When integrated within a digital BIM model, the same data take on new meanings, allowing geometric information to be combined with historical and documentary information.