Mormanno, Italy
Architect and creative director Mario Cucinella in collaboration with project manager Luca Sandri develop Santa Maria Goretti Church for Diocesi of Cassano all’Jonio in the small mountain town of Mormanno drawing a timeless connection between architecture and religion, in dialogue with art and sustainability.
The project has been awarded a 2022 International Architecture Award by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.
Santa Maria Goretti Church stands above Pollino National Park like a white, light and beautifully curved sheet that stands as a holy monolith which preserves and protects the intimate sacredness of the interior, in harmony with the surrounding landscape.
The premises of the rectory take advantage of the current access road to the site, creating a sort of small urban complex surrounded by gardens and overlooking the valley.
The main façade inspired by the curves of Baroque architecture, opens onto the new church square, and is characterized by a few but essential elements that define the main signs of the Christian tradition: the entrance portal and the cross.
The cross appears on the façade through illumination of the casing that draw shadow lines generated by the intersection with the entrance portal, giving life to a slight incision with a strong expressive value.
A sign that can be read from afar and when illuminated at nightfall, referring to a leading night star. The churchyard is characterized as a single path, paved like the interior of the Church, which accompanies the visitor to the entrance door.
The entrance is decorated by words related to the life of Saint Maria Goretti, engraved on the façade, which symbolically accompanies the visitor inside the sacred space in sync with Calabria’s austere Byzantine church tradition.
Natural light permeates the interior, as the symbol and focal point of the Christian language.
From the top of the Church, a series of translucent veils, like scenic drapes, fill the central space, reverberating natural light through its folds in a play of reflections that harks back to the mystical spectacle of the Northern Lights, thus creating an intimate and collected atmosphere.
For the furniture, simple podiums and seating in wood and steel have been selected that serve to highlight the architectural and sculptural elements of the church interior.
On one day each year during the feast of Saint Maria Goretti on july 6th, a beam of sunlight shines directly on the symbol of the cross set on the wall behind the altar.
Santa Maria Goretti Church is designed for sustainability and low energy usage.
The green roofs and the planted internal courtyards, as well as the organic garden in front of the rectory, contribute to the minimal maintenance of the project and serve the local community.
Project: Santa Maria Goretti Church
Architects: Mario Cucinella Architects
Lead Architect: Mario Cucinella
Design Team: Luca Sandri, Alberto Bruno, Alberto Casarotto, Emanuele Dionigi, Enrico Pintabona, and Michele Roveri
Artist: Giuseppe Maraniello
General Contractor: Costruzioni Generali srl.
Client: Diocese of Cassano all’Jonio
Photographers: Duccio Malagamba
