Architect:
Renzo Piano Building Workshop - Genua
The church was designed to receive the increasing number of pilgrims visiting San Giovanni Rotondo. Though it is only 16 meters high, the church has a capacity of 6,500 people. The vast external precinct can hold some 30,000 on a surface of 9,000 square meters.
The structure has a spiral-shaped movement: the dome sweeps down from the centre towards the precinct in a gesture of welcoming invitation. The technical challenge of the project lies in the use of local natural stone as a structural material: the church in fact includes about twenty stone arches arranged in radial fashion holding up the vast roof.