Sacred Architecture in Italian Magazines, 1950-1970

Abstract

The period between 1950 and 1970 in Italy was marked by a strong debate around the church building and its spatial arrangement; the renewed need for celebration, strongly felt in those years and flowing into the reforms of the Second Vatican Council, was reflected in the design research of architects spanning between more conservative realisations and modern forms. The existing literature on the period is wide, but it consists mostly of a posteriori studies. This work, on the other hand, tackles the subject in medias res, analysing what was published in the magazines in that precise moment in history, looking at the events first hand. Five art and architecture magazines were analysed, the most significant and authoritative ones on these topics: Domus and Arte Cristiana – which still – cover the entire historical period; overlapping on them for more limited periods are Fede e Arte (magazine of the Pontifical Central Commission for Sacred Art in Italy, 1953-1967), Chiesa e Quartiere (Diocese of Bologna, 1955-1968), Nuove chiese (Diocese of Milan, 1964-1968). A specific focus is devoted to the Diocese of Milan, which under Montini's leadership became the strategic point and driving force behind an unparalleled growth in the construction of new churches in Italy, to the point of being described as 'the Archbishop's workshop'. The number of churches presented in the journals of this twenty-years span is remarkable, roughly 200 buildings. The picture that emerges is as varied as ever because each magazine chooses what to publish and how to present it; from the whole, the differences, the stances and the editorial lines emerge strongly; it’s a mosaic that reflects the liveliness of theoretical and practical thought in the society of the time.

Keywords

• italian magazines
• modern churches
• domus
• arte cristiana
• fede e arte