Paul VI Audience Hall
Encyclopedia
The Paul VI Audience Hall is a building in Rome
, mostly in Italy
but partially in Vatican City
, but the Italian part of the building is an exterritorial area of the Holy See
used by the Pope
as an alternative to Saint Peter's Square
for conducting his Wednesday morning General Audience. The building, with a seating capacity of 6,300, was designed in reinforced concrete
by the Italian
architect
Pier Luigi Nervi
and completed in 1971.
One of the more arresting features of the hall is the twenty-meter-wide brass and bronze sculpture La Resurrezione ("The Resurrection") by Pericle Fazzini.
On May 25, 2007 it was revealed that the roof of the building was to be covered with 2,400 photovoltaic panels
, generating
sufficient electricity
to supply all the heating, cooling and lighting needs of the building throughout the year. The system was donated by a German manufacturer, SolarWorld, and valued at $1.5 million. It was officially placed into service on November 26, 2008 and was awarded the 2008 European Solar Prize
in the Category Solar architecture and urban development.
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, mostly in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
but partially in Vatican City
Vatican City
Vatican City , or Vatican City State, in Italian officially Stato della Città del Vaticano , which translates literally as State of the City of the Vatican, is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. It has an area of...
, but the Italian part of the building is an exterritorial area of the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
used by the Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
as an alternative to Saint Peter's Square
Saint Peter's Square
Saint Peter's Square is located directly in front of St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, the papal enclave within Rome .-History of St...
for conducting his Wednesday morning General Audience. The building, with a seating capacity of 6,300, was designed in reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete is concrete in which reinforcement bars , reinforcement grids, plates or fibers have been incorporated to strengthen the concrete in tension. It was invented by French gardener Joseph Monier in 1849 and patented in 1867. The term Ferro Concrete refers only to concrete that is...
by the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
Pier Luigi Nervi
Pier Luigi Nervi
Pier Luigi Nervi was an Italian engineer. He studied at the University of Bologna and qualified in 1913. Dr. Nervi taught as a professor of engineering at Rome University from 1946-61...
and completed in 1971.
One of the more arresting features of the hall is the twenty-meter-wide brass and bronze sculpture La Resurrezione ("The Resurrection") by Pericle Fazzini.
On May 25, 2007 it was revealed that the roof of the building was to be covered with 2,400 photovoltaic panels
Photovoltaics
Photovoltaics is a method of generating electrical power by converting solar radiation into direct current electricity using semiconductors that exhibit the photovoltaic effect. Photovoltaic power generation employs solar panels composed of a number of solar cells containing a photovoltaic material...
, generating
Electricity generation
Electricity generation is the process of generating electric energy from other forms of energy.The fundamental principles of electricity generation were discovered during the 1820s and early 1830s by the British scientist Michael Faraday...
sufficient electricity
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
to supply all the heating, cooling and lighting needs of the building throughout the year. The system was donated by a German manufacturer, SolarWorld, and valued at $1.5 million. It was officially placed into service on November 26, 2008 and was awarded the 2008 European Solar Prize
European Solar Prize
The European Solar Prizes are awarded annually by the European Association for Renewable Energy EUROSOLAR located in Bonn, Germany. The Prizes are awarded since 1994 to individuals or organizations for the outstanding contribution to the utilization and applications of renewable energy in all its...
in the Category Solar architecture and urban development.
See also
- Pope Paul VIPope Paul VIPaul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
- Individual and political action on climate changeIndividual and political action on climate changeIndividual and political action on climate change can take many forms, most of which have the ultimate goal of limiting and/or reducing the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, toward avoiding dangerous climate change.-Political action:...
Further reading
- Ralf van Bühren: Kunst und Kirche im 20. Jahrhundert. Die Rezeption des Zweiten Vatikanischen Konzils (Konziliengeschichte, Reihe B: Untersuchungen). Paderborn: Ferdinand Schöningh 2008, p. 314-317, fig. 58-59 (ISBN 978-3-506-76388-4)
- Conny Cossa: Moderne im Schatten. Die Audienzhalle Pier Luigi Nervis im Vatikan, Regensburg, Schnell & Steiner 2010, ISBN 978-3-7954-2344-5
- Conny Cossa: Modernismo all'ombra - La Sala delle udienze pontificie di Pier Luigi Nervi, Roma, Libreria Editrice Vaticana 2010, ISBN-13: 978-88-209-8446-5