Completed in 1958 by architects Angelo Mangiarotti, Bruno Morassutti and Aldo Favini, Our Lady of Mercy Church has long been considered a small masterpiece of modern Italian architecture.
“The glass church” in Baranzate
Located in Baranzate, a town north-west of Milan, the “Chiesa di vetro” features a distinctive glazed exterior, and is characterized by its typology pioneering use of cement and steel.
Plans were drawn up by architect Bruno Morassutti to renovate the building in 2003, after it was clear that church was in need of restoration. in 2008, at the age of 88, Morassutti passed away and the project was continued by his collaborator, Giulio Barazzetta, professor of Architectural Deign at Milan Polytechnic.
The building is characterized by its pioneering use of cement and steel and features a distinctive glazed façade.
Themes shared with architect Pier Luigi Nervi can be found both in Morassutti’s and in Barazzetta’s careers: the specialisation in building types, the separation and repeatability of the elements that compose them, the built form of the architecture, prefabrication as an architectural design method, iteration and variation as the process determining form.
A conference at MAXXI, the National Museum of XXI Century Arts
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