HISTORICAL FUTURE, BENEDETTO CAMERANA FOR SERMIG FOR THE BASILICA OF SUPERGA
Speaking of hospitality, churches and their surroundings represent inviolable places of welcome. Sermig is a group of immense spiritual and organizational value, active for sixty years in the field of assistance, combating inequalities, and promoting social development. Benedetto Camerana has a longstanding friendship with association and its founder, Ernesto Olivero, which, as early as 2009, led to gift of the design and realization of the Church of Santa Maria Madre dei Giovani in the Arsenal of Peace in Turin. The book below tells the beauty of this space, which takes shape from a few simple elements: the pure and absolute geometries and light filtered through skylights, converging into luminous cross, alluding to a dialogue with absolute and between monotheistic religions.
With the personal blessing of Pope Benedict XVI for laying of the first stone and project, the Church of Santa Maria Madre dei Giovani is now a spiritual and gathering center for the benevolent and those assisting the needy in Turin, following the tradition of Social Saints.
At the opposite end and in continuity with this “simple mysticism,” as Benedetto Camerana defines it, in 2021, he also took over the management of the Sermig from the State Property, including the grand complex of the Basilica of Superga. This magnificent and admirable Baroque scenography dominates the hilly landscape and the city itself. Ernesto Olivero turned to Benedetto Camerana to coordinate the revitalization project of the Basilica, which over time had slipped into a state of decay, and moreover, was completely inaccessible to people with motor disabilities.
The Studio enthusiastically embraced request to breathe new life into Juvarra’s masterpiece, supporting its return as a center of spirituality and, concurrently, of cultural tourism. The comprehensive technical recovery project was developed in collaboration with Gae Engineering S.r.l. for systems and restoration specialist Callegaro S.r.l. It envisions recovery and repurposing of all areas of Basilica and the Convent. The objective is regeneration of entire complex and reopening and full accessibility of each space, with functions studied in collaboration with the supervisory authority: in addition to church and royal crypt, which are only areas currently open to public, this includes the magnificent theological library, the grand corridors of the two-level cloister, the garden, the former kitchens, the Papal rooms, the so-called “Incompleted” section, and the volume for unfinished apartment on opposite side of the Basilica. The complete accessibility of site and inclusivity, as defined in the master plan developed by Studio Camerana, have been the starting point of the vision for this ongoing project, on which Sermig is also working with assistance of Turin Consulta and relevant institutional entities such as (State Property, Supervision, Superintendent’s Office, Region, and City) at present.