a team of young architects composed of IONOUTarchitettura, LADO architetti and LAMBER + LAMBER, has recently completed the church of the penitent thief and its annexed parish complex in san lazzaro di savena, italy. the project, which initiated in 2010, included the community in its design process in order to realize a church that doesn?t sacrifice its symbolic and evocative dimensions while creating a recognizable and inclusive structure.

images by simone bossi
 
 
the design by IONOUTarchitettura, LADO architetti and LAMBER + LAMBER for the church of the penitent thief references the archetypal image of a church but strips it from piety in order to reflect a sober, solemn and not monumental image. featuring modest geometries, the structure boasts a light-colored wall casing that evokes marble. these walls bend and slide off each other, turning into large half-open doors that give access to the main hall and main entrance.
 
 
the main design element is a continuous crack running along the entire roof splitting the building?s shell and allowing natural light to come in while revealing the presence of the sky. this symbolic gesture references the name of the church itself that aims to transmit a redemption message. inside, the liturgical spaces have been organized along the perimeter, built in wall niches ? the baptistery, the weekday chapel and the area dedicated to the choir. the resulting central voids hosts the assembly hall with benches arranged in a semicircula...