Holy See Pavilion
Biennale Architettura 2018
16th International Architecture Exhibition
The Pavilion of the Holy See is taking part for the first time at the 16th International Architecture Exhibition of the Venice Biennale.
The theme Vatican Chapel was proposed to ten architects invited by the curator Francesco Dal Co, to build ten chapels gathered in the densely wooded area at the end of the island of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice, never open to the public before
The project joins the beauty of this place, outlining briefly the space
Four steel beams of 8 meters in length (12x12cm) composes the ensemble: one is a bench, the other one is a cross, two old elements of the Catholic Church.
The ensemble is built on seven pieces of concrete (12x12x200cm), which gives metric to the ensemble.
Steel beams are made of highly polished stainless steel to reflect the surroundings: the chapel may disappear at a certain moment, and the shadow of the ensemble may become more evident than the object itself.
The Chapel is almost invisible. It is an ethereal project that speaks metaphorically of the passage of life, of existence and of non-existence. The project is completed by a natural dome between the trees
The presence of history surrounds. And the use of a bench and a cross is ages.