A metallic church recreates its ancient XIII century predecessor

One of the many uses of mallas metálicas is as an architectural element, from the decorative to application to walls and roofs. But what if mesh could be used as the basis for the whole building?

That was the idea artist Edoardo Tresoldi came up with in his project for the reconstruction of this ancient church in southern Italy. With the original building having been destroyed by earthquakes back in the thirteenth century, its precise structure and size was an unknown quantity, a factor which gave the artist greater freedom during the course of the creative process.

The building-sculpture took 5 months to create and the intention is for it to remain in place on a permanent basis. Striking and modern, the installation seeks to breathe life into the ruins of the site, as well as enabling the town to reclaim a piece of its glorious past through the union of ancient and modern architecture.

The structure features the various types of architectural elements commonly found in an actual church: columns, arches and Romanesque domes. The splendour of the building is further enhanced when the sun goes down, thanks to the spotlights that, by night, provide an air of enchantment.

The work’s curator, Simone Pallotta, explains that ‘Edoardo Tresoldi’s installation stands as a majestic architectural sculpture offering an illustration of the sheer scale of the Christian church that originally existed, while vivifying, through recreation, the relationship between old and contemporary’.