SAN PAOLO PARISH COMPLEX -

FOLIGNO

The parish complex is made up of two main elements that are identified by the functions of the religious centre. The first element, the Church, is a monolith of pure geometry which accommodates the suspension of a volume within another, while drawing attention to the sense of verticality. 

The dimensions of the major external volume, 30 x 22,5 meters and 25 meters high, correspond to the dimensions of the room. The second element, an extended and short parallelepiped, houses the Vestry, the premises of the Pastoral Ministry and the Rectory. A third translucent body, the Ferial Chapel, connects and separates the two main elements. Inside the monolith, a perimetral cut offering a glance of the sky lights up the interstitial space between the two volumes contained one within the other. 

Structural elements in the shape of a pyramidal frustum connect the external volume to the suspended one and create openings having the same geometrical shape that are carved on the northern and southern sides of both volumes. From these openings - with an irregular cut – beams of light enter directly inside the room 

The interior was intended to emphasize the centrality of the Altar, whereas the Baptismal Font and the Ambon are located asymmetrically to the former. The dominant idea is to underline the active role of the celebrating Assembly. 

Photo credits: Moreno Maggi