Just past May 1, with the satisfaction of a Mass celebrated worthily the first Friday in Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite in the 'Abbey of St. Stefano in Genoa (see images in the previous article) for the first time by Father Abbot and Gabriel (the Fraternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary ) we tried to do with Google Earth a little game whose outcome, in truth, it was assumed Having regard to the history of the building: the apse of the abbey is perfectly oriented to the east, with the east geographical and liturgical once coincident, so the word of the Gospel was symbolically but actually (almost) proclaimed to the darkness (always symbolic , of course ...) to the north.
Speaking of symbolism, as in the past we see the evocative power of the building also derived from the context of location: the place of worship was the center of urban development and, given the devotion of the Genoese and the topography is not surprising that the civic administration, one point, he devised the formula (with the corresponding Department) of the "polycentric city and education", while having in mind a very different type of centers (primarily social ones ...) and a consequent concept of education. And a different kind of "center" is evidently designed into the construction of Via XX Settembre, today the "way" of Genoa for excellence, to the evocative power of the name is already perceived as' well-equipped, but for have no idea of his power disruptive enough to see the old images: the first (left) is prior to the construction of the new road, and well illustrated the centrality of Santo Stefano, while typical "ups and downs" of Genoa, then joined the church not only symbolically St. Michael's, then destroyed.
was-albeit with a new track "driveway" passed along the main axis of the church
Via XX September to the beginning, with S. Stephen and St. Michael
Via XX Settembre, today, with the church of S. Stephen
The second image (on the right, in black and white) from the center shows how the church has become a little Appendix 'bulky in the new structure, located above the level of Via XX Settembre and this almost invisible as the picture shows even better today, which also fails to make quite clear the marginalization of a vast complex of artistic and cultural place one hand above the horizon of those who follow a road (Via XX Settembre, in fact) and on the other side sunken than those who runs above the current mayor.
It should be said that everything is almost nothing compared to what one promises to "progress" on the excellent " Cantuale Antonianum "you can see in more detail that pure architectural gem ssacra (yes, with these two ...) which is the new church in Foligno conceived by the genius architect Fuksas, whose views would be agreeing to those who argue that in the name of the illustrious engineer missing a "c" and exceed the last three letters (say foul, but not as the work deserves ).
the "church" designed by the architect. Fuksas in Foligno: 3 million euros for the building, six hundred thousand more for the "artwork" (tremble at the thought ...)
Yet among modern churches there are buildings "beautiful": the case of the church of Tor Tre Teste, Rome, designed by Richard Meyer: The appearance is such that almost anyone would want a home like this, but the problem, common to masterpiece built in Foligno, is this: they are buildings that, at best, could be used for anything: office, business center, library, gym, shopping and so on, even the Catholic Church? so if the goal is to promote a Catholic anonymous and innocuous compared to the "politically correct", a Catholicism that blends into the world to talk, but that in this way becomes the world that there is the illusion of turning and transforming itself.
church of Tor Tre Teste (Rome) Arch. Meyer: even attractive but not recognizable as a place of worship
If I could write about and discuss at length, and even those who would not fail, with quotes and learned a few pounds of the same and most learned dissertations, proves the perfect catholicity with the immeasurable and incomparable artistic and cultural value of such buildings, without missing data psycho-social, theological and ecclesiological which prove that these buildings correspond to an irrepressible even if not fully perceived individual need and a more mature social contextualization of religion itself ', understood not as an element comparable to (and indistinguishable from) concrete objective representation the inner reality and perceived reality even as remodeling of part of a immanent psychologistic anachronistic subjectivism, per se 'factor and a symptom of an intimate retreat in the face of sublimation in terms of aesthetic and religious dialogue ultimately superstitious, although present in ( and characterizing certain) positions in the given current law only simplistically critical issues, apparently ignoring the fertility ideal and refusing to place it in connection with an analogue was added to the total dynamic development aimed at overcoming both the paucity of empirical categorization of art - object - of - the consumer dell'ingombrante art intellectualism - interpretation - of - a-particular - design - aesthetic, and thus reduced opposite way conceived as a totally sterile crystallization perceptive than absolutely not due to a complexity ontological canons of interpretation, but as an adult reworking of a progressive cultural stratification historical objectification of Christian-oriented to a growing awareness of the eschatological community journey that, as such, not only does not require identity elements but avoids logically, because by if 'universal factor of identity, then factor in Catholic identity that transcends even phenomenologically to Catholic identity, even if it has been an inevitable phase of development can not certainly represent the semantic field within which relational or confine the ball within factual to analyze the many signs of the times and prophetic in which channel the tensions that inevitably arise and become so radical interpretive perspective and at the same time as the keystone of an ecclesiology in culturally-antropologizzata placed it in a cosmological conception of reality as deeply humanizing because it is able to waive the distorting lens of all those layers from time to time served and objectified by the power they have usurped pretentiously established and the characters of objectivity and truth, detached from historical data - political - economic as well as scientific progress and new awareness and new needs, featuring architectural and artistic forms because iperstrutturate superstructure founded and directed a substantial cultural stagnation resulted in a formal way that, far from interpreting the fundamental evolution and progress of society, leads to quell'appiattimento immediately due to a stylistic misguided sense of security and immediately recognizable through the same cognitive process which when applied to different semiotic and symbolic categories, is the same that makes us recognize, for example, the object - from coffee to 'object - automobile, which invariably, facing one or the other, we cry "this is a coffee" or "this is a car" and that, mutatis mutandis, in front of one of those architectural horrors of the past, we immediately say, with unease, " This is an altar, "" this is a church "or, worse still," this is a Catholic church, "denying the catholicity precisely because of the uniqueness and particularity.
Now, supposing she was right, Oscar Wilde, intellectual should be very much appreciated by the scholars mentioned above, when he argued that "Whoever uses four words when three would speak with a criminal capable of any crime", as you should define who is able to spend such a flood to express anything?
Prosaically, in a given square, overlooked by a church, a hospital, a supermarket and an indoor pool, I'd immediately orient toward the goal, whatever, without having to check each number, and giving pleasure to both kilograms of learned dissertations the same buildings where they relate, never mind if in doing so prove to be culturally backward, artistically insensitive and, worse, catholic (universal) particular and particularist (and a little 'papist, and Madonna, and passe ...) and, For that matter, I drink the bitter cup to the bottom of any possible negative epithet to me saying that I look with hope, for example, the church opened in 2008 at the hands of those retrograde (papists, Madonna etc.. etc.. etc.. ) that are on a mission the Franciscans of the Immaculate (no other word passed) in the Philippines, specifically in Cebu City, which, moreover, have wanted to call the place of worship to "Our Lady Co-Redeemer." (all the images of the article are visible in the original size with a click)
side view of "NS Co-Redeemer": even here there is no doubt about the function of the building
the facade of "NS Coredemptrix" poor material and "modern" (reinforced concrete blocks) but decent view, and especially essential to clear (as well as low cost as befits a mission)
Although the building is very nice, its implementation, starting with the design costs, is far less costly than some "monsters" on the other hand we speak of a mission, nor can one say that there is some kind of abandoned glitz ...
... But it is possible to see things like that should go to the Philippines??
from the inside, while designed for the ordinary form of the Roman Rite, there is an obvious use of the building, note the side doors, which combine safety reasons compared to those of the local architecture, we have now a dream ...
toh. a cross! ... and also clearly visible that anachronism!
[...] May 3, 2009 in Architecture, Considerations, Pictures, Liturgy Just past May 1, with the satisfaction of a Mass celebrated worthily the first Friday in Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite in the Abbey of St. Stefano in Genoa (see images in the previous article) for the first time by Father Abbot and Gabriel (the Fraternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary) we tried to do with Google Earth a little game whose outcome, in truth, it was assumed Having regard to the history of the building: the apse of the abbey is perefettamente oriented to the east, the east with the geographical and liturgical once coincident, so the word of the Gospel was symbolically but actually (almost) proclaimed to the darkness (always symbolic , of course ...) to the north. Read more [...]