Church of Santa Giusta, Romanesque church in L'Aquila, Italy

The Church of Santa Giusta stands in L'Aquila's Quarto di San Giorgio, near Piazza del Duomo. Its white-stone facade, raised after the 1349 earthquake, is divided by pilasters into six panels framing the portal and rose window, with a row of Romanesque-Gothic arches along the top. Inside, three naves of six arches each lead to a raised transept; the apse holds a 15th-century wooden choir.

Founded in 1254 as the church of the castle of Bazzano, Santa Giusta is older than L'Aquila's cathedral and stands on the site of a 1230s church probably dedicated to Saint George. In 1272 the Captain of the City Lucchesino da Firenze made it head of the Quarto di San Giorgio. The 1315 and 1349 earthquakes led to rebuilt polygonal apses and a facade completed in the early 15th century; the 1703 earthquake damaged but did not destroy it. Gravely damaged in 2009, it is still unusable, with restoration estimated at 5,800,000 euros over four years.

The church is named after Saint Justa, venerated as a martyr; the sources do not specify her origin. The district is called San Giorgio after the earlier church probably dedicated to Saint George, built by settlers from Goriano Valli. The 1617 coffered ceiling and the Alferi, Mariani and Agnifili chapels show the Aquilan Baroque style.

The church stands at the head of Piazza Santa Giusta, a short walk from Piazza del Duomo in the Quarto di San Giorgio. It is currently inaccessible: the 2009 earthquake caused collapses in the presbytery and serious lesions in the apse and side naves. Restoration is estimated at 5,800,000 euros over four years, so the building can only be viewed from the square.

The facade's rose window was walled up in the 1730 restoration and replaced by four square windows set to the sides. During the post-2009 safety works, restorers found the remains of that original rose window, along with frescoes, inside the damaged building.