MINIMALIST CHAPLES BY MARIO BOTTA IN SWITZERLAND

When a little historical church from year 1626 in the Mogno village in Switzerland got destroyed following a landslide in 1986, nobody knew that there would be a completely new chapel of completely modern look at its place.    

The village can be found 1180 meters above the sea level and since the 19th century, people have been here only in the summer. The locals still had a great desire to put the building back. In the 1990s, an architect from Ticino started the project of the little church of Saint John the Baptist. The construction was finished in 1996.

The project of the architect Mario Botta was quite daring. The project of the chapel was built from local materials: Peccia marble and Vallemaggia granite.

The realization of the project was first seen in controversial light: black and white stripes on the outside and a similar pattern creating a specific chequered design on the inner side. Nevertheless, the project was appreciated by architects from around the world. And the time proved that the minimalist construction, thanks to its simplicity of the interior and absence of decoration, brings a lot of joy.

This minimalist church, with only 123 square metres floor space, does not have windows and the interior gets light through the glass ceiling. The construction has an oval shape that changes into a ball at the top. Mario Botta is also the author of the architectural design of the chapel Santa maria degli Angeli near Monte Tamaro. Oval is the basic element also in this building.

When you take a look at both of these buildings, although there are huge differences, the similar approach to the project is apparent. This chapel, built in 1992-96, was also designed from stone. In this case porphyry. You must visit the church: it is a grandiose bastion on the edge of the mountain. Apart from a place for prayer, it has also become a tool for the new “reading of the landscape”.  You should also visit the works of Enzo Cucchi, a painter and sculptor, a representant of the Italian trans-avantgarde. Both places are remarkable for their innovative approach that was used to design both of these places.      

Source: Kurier kamieniarski

Author: Kurier Kamieniarski   |   Published: 22. 12. 2020