Chiesa di San Mauro Abate in Monacella (Catania) Italy | Maria Maccarrone

The process that guided the design and the course of the works for the Restoration of the Church of San Mauro Abate in Monacella (Catania - Italy) follows the idea of ​​reconnecting the main ecclesiastical building of the ancient agricultural village to the landscape dominated by Mount Etna, tracing correspondences between the volcanic nature of the soil and the anthropogenic traces of those who live in the shadow of a never extinguished volcano. The original structure, built with a single nave in 1788-1792, was modified by the enlargement of the south aisle in 1880 and in 1922 by the north aisle. The Executive Regenerative Project is composed of foundational materials of the aetnensis landscape (lava stone, terracotta, wood) declined in furnishing components with essential geometries and textures. The new flooring, materials and orders interpret the Etnean tradition. The sacred furniture and the lighting fixtures have been re-placed and re-functionalized for the new needs of worship. The altar and the ambo were entirely designed as a self-supporting box system, a metaphor for that cornerstone on which the Church was founded. This casket for the Word is not static: a beginning of movement has been imprinted on it, a movement towards the goal of the Church versus nature and of nature returning to the Church.