The right direction, and hope some havoc

Just past May 1, with the satisfaction of a First Friday Mass worthily celebrated in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite in '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 given the history of the building: the apse of the abbey is perfectly oriented to the east, with geographical and liturgical east once coincident, so the word of the Gospel was symbolically but actually (almost) proclaimed to darkness (always symbolic , of course ...) North.

Speaking of symbolism, as we see in the past 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 appropriate 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, which in terms evocative 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 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.

it was: even with a new track "driveway" passed along the main axis of the church

Via XX September to the beginning with S. Stephen S. Michele

Via XX Settembre, today, with the church of S. Stephen

The second image (on the right, in black and white) shows how to center the church has become a bit Appendix 'bulky in the new structure, located above the level of Via XX Settembre, and from this almost invisible as even better than the picture shows Today, although it did manage to make quite clear the marginalization of a number of great artistic value and cultural place one hand above the horizon of those who follow a road (Via XX Settembre, precisely) and other sunken laterally with respect to those runs above the current mayor.

It should be said that everything is almost nothing compared to what it 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 view would be to acquiesce to those who argue that in the name of the illustrious designer missing a "c" and go beyond the last three letters (say foul, but not as the work deserves ).

the "church" designed by the architect. Fuksas Foligno: 3 million euros for the building, six hundred thousand more for the "artwork" (tremble at the thought ...)

Yet the churches are modern buildings also "beautiful": the case of the church of Tor Tre Teste, Rome, designed by Richard Meyer: The appearance is such that almost everyone would like a home as well, 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 Catholicism anonymous and bland compared to the "politically correct", a Catholicism that blends into the world to talk, but that this becomes the world that there is the illusion of turning and transforming itself.

Tor three heads of the church (Rome) Arch. Meyer: catchy but not even recognizable as a place of worship

If I could write about and discuss at length, and maybe he would not fail those with dottissime quotes and a few pounds less and more scholarly dissertations, proves the perfect and unsurpassed catholicity with immeasurable artistic and cultural value of such buildings, without missing data psycho-social, theological and ecclesiological which prove that these buildings correspond to an irrepressible although not fully perceived individual need and a more mature social contextualization of religion itself ', understood not as an element comparable to (and indistinguishable from) the real objective representation the inner reality and perceived reality even as the reshaping of an anachronism in an immanent subjectivity psychologistic, per se 'factor and a symptom of an intimate retreat in the face of sublimation in terms of religious dialogical aesthetic and ultimately superstitious, although present in ( and characterizing certain) positions in the current figure would read only simplistically critical issues, apparently ignoring the fertility ideal and refusing to put it in an analogical relationship with development added to the dynamic totality aimed at overcoming both the insufficiency of the empirical categorization of art - object - to - consumer dell'ingombrante intellectualism as art - interpretation of - of - a-special - design - aesthetics, reduced thereby and the opposite way intended as a crystallization of all sterile compared to perceptual complexity is not due entirely to 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 clearly depict the semantic field within which to confine the relational nor the factual sphere within to analyze the many signs of the times and in which channel the prophetic tensions that inevitably arise and become so radical interpretive perspective and at the same time key to ecclesiology as a culturally-antropologizzata since it is placed 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 and pretentiously established characters of objectivity and truth, slegandoli from historic - political - economic as well as by scientific progress and new awareness and new needs, featuring architectural and artistic forms iperstrutturate because sovrastrutturalmente founded and directed a substantial cultural stagnation translated into formal mannerisms that, far from interpreting the fundamental evolution and progress of society, leads to an instantly recognizable style quell'appiattimento misguided sense of security and instantly 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 - cars, 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, uneasily, " This is an altar, "" this is a church "or, worse still," this is a Catholic Church ", denying its catholicity is precisely because of the peculiarity and particularity.

Now, supposing that Oscar Wilde was right, that the intellectual should be very much appreciated by the scholars mentioned above, when he argued that "Who uses four words when three would speak with is a criminal who is capable of any crime," as it should define who is able to spend such a flood to express anything?

Prosaically, in a given square on which affacciassero a church, a hospital, a supermarket and an indoor pool, I'd immediately orient toward the goal, whatever it was, without having to check each number, and giving pleasure to both kilograms of learned dissertations As to buildings which are for the same; patience if this would prove to be culturally backward, artistically insensitive and, worse, catholic (universal) and particularist particular (and somewhat 'Papist, and madonnista, and passe ...) and, we're at it, I drink the bitter cup to the bottom of every 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, etc. madonnisti. 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 pictures are part visible in the original size with a click)

side view of "NS Coredemptrix": here too no doubt about the function of the building

the facade of "NS Coredemptrix" poor material and "modern" (and concrete blocks) but decent view, and especially essential to unequivocally (and cost, as befits a mission)

Although the building is very nice, its implementation, since the costs of design, appears much less costly than some "monsters" on the other hand we speak of a mission, nor can one say that there is left to wonder what glitz ...

But ... you may need to see things like go to the Philippines??

also from the inside, although 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!

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