Description

Situated in the Bolognese Apennines and linked by a bridge, the villages Riola and Vergato are spread along the banks of the Reno. The church stands on a plateau between the river and the hillside. With its wedge-shaped form, the building is inserted between the flow of the currents and the slopes of the landscape.

Stepped to the north, curved to the south, sloping down to the west, the church was largely constructed out of industrially produced elements. Six rounded arches made of reinforced concrete serve as the supporting framework, on which four concrete shells rest, each a quarter cylinder in section. The external walls are clad with panels of local, light brown sandstone and the roof is clad in copper. On the north side, the chapel containing the font projects from the wedge. The sacristy, the priest’s residence as well as a wing containing offices and a hall are arranged to the south. At this point, a slab projects far and high out of the building. In terms of the balance of the building, this forms a vertical contrast to the horizontal vault of the roof. Originally, the slab was intended to conceal a sliding wall, which would have made it possible to divide the space into a smaller part with the altar and a larger part for assembly and festive occasions. However, this plan was never realised. Inside, the building is characterised principally by the arches. Although curved at three points, they run in one continuous thrust from floor to ceiling and back to the floor again. Since each arch is progressively smaller, not only from left to right but also from front to back, they articulate the space more powerfully than any set of Romanesque pillars. The walls are finished in white lime. The pews, which stand on the reddish clay-tiled floor, can accommodate 240 people. The zone around the altar stands out due to the generous use of Carrara marble. Excepting the two vertical bands of light adjacent to the altar, the light comes solely from above and the north. The only light is reflected light that rebounds off the curved surface of the quarter cylinders down into the nave.

Presbytery, baptistery and music galleries are placed in a distinct relationship to one another. They form a whole, not least due to their many angles and the ups and downs of their steps. The console and prospect of the organ are positioned above the opening to the baptism space. The chapel has an elongated skylight and – in a reference to the baptism of the prophet John – a window overlooking the river.

The 1966 design proposed further buildings on the south and west sides for parish use. The wedge of the church was a little longer and had seven rather than six arches. The immediate surroundings were more emphatically landscaped and the dialogue between inside and outside was stressed more strongly. Critics complained about the, in their opinion, mediocre detailing of the church. The architect died in 1976. According to sources, he would probably have clad part of the walls in wood for aesthetic and acoustic reasons.

Alvar Aalto. Vol. II 1963-1970, Zurich and Munich 1971, pp. 170- | Alvar­ Aalto. Vol. III Projekte und letzte Bauten, Zurich and Munich 1978, pp. 142- | The Architectural Review, no. 3/1979, pp. 140- | L’Architecture d’Aujourd’hui, no. 191/1977, p. 102 | Architecture and Urbanism, no. 1/­1979, pp. 11- | Arkkitehti, no. 1/1979, cover, pp. 28-, pp. 55- | Chiesa Oggi, no. 2/1992, pp. 62- and no. 12/1995, pp. 24- | De Seta, Cesare: Architetture della fede in Italia. Dalle origini ai nostri giorni, Milan 2003, pp. 179- | Deutsche Bauzeitschrift, no. 4/1981, pp. 485- | Domus, no. 587/1978, pp. 8- | Ecclesia, no. 16/1998, pp. 16- | Futagawa, Yukio: Light and Space. Modern Architecture 2, Tokyo 1994, p. 315 | Gil, Paloma: El templo del siglo XX, Barcelona 1999, p. 131, pp. 133- | GA Global Architecture Document, Special Issue 1970-1980, Tokyo 1980, pp. 266- | Gresleri, Giuliano, Gresleri, Glauco: Alvar Aalto. La chiesa di Riola, Bologna 2004 | Heathcote, Edwin, Moffatt, Laura: Contemporary Church Architecture, Chichester 2007, pp. 66- | L’Industria delle Costruzioni, no. 87/1979, cover, pp. 13- | Kunst und Kirche, no. 1/1980, pp. 37- | Lindstrom, Randall S.: Creativity and Contradiction. European Churches since 1970, Washington D.C. 1988, pp. 128-, p. 139 | The Line. Original Drawings from the Alvar Aalto Archive, exhibition catalogue, Helsinki 1993, pp. 112-­ | Das Münster, no. 4/1987, p. 275, p. 278 | Muratore, Giorgio (et al.): Italia. Gli ultimi trent’anni. Guida all’architettura moderna, Bologna 1988, p. 274 | Parametro, no. 62/1977, cover, pp. 30- and no. 68/1978, pp. 3- and no. 202/1994, pp. 2- and no. 255/2005, pp. 4- | Pearman, Hugh: Contemporary World Architecture, London 1998, p. 148 | Polano, Sergio, Mulazzani, Marco: Guida all’architettura italiana del novecento, Milan 1991, pp. 320- | Progressive Architecture, no. 3/1979, pp. 57- | Quantrill, Malcolm: Alvar Aalto. A Critical Study, London 1983, pp. 202-, p. 279 | Schildt, Göran: Alvar Aalto. The Mature Years, New York 1991, pp. 223- | Schildt, Göran: Alvar Aalto. The Complete Catalogue of Architecture, Design and Art, London and Berlin 1994, pp. 55- | Schildt, Göran: Alvar Aalto. Masterworks, London 1998, p. 192- | Stock, Wolfgang Jean (Ed.): European Church Architecture 1950-2000, Munich 2002, pp. 150- | Stock, Wolfgang Jean: Architectural Guide Sacred Buildings in Europe since 1950, Munich 2004, pp. 212- | Trebbi, Giorgio: Chiesa di Riola, Bologna 1999 | Trencher, Michael: The Alvar Aalto Guide, New York 1996, pp. 206- | Werk, Archithese, no. 19/20/1978, p. 82 | Weston, Richard: Alvar Aalto, London 1995, p. 213

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Originally published in: Rudolf Stegers, Sacred Buildings: A Design Manual, Birkhäuser, 2008.