The essay traces the origins and results of a project of restoration of the so-called “Second Hospice” in the Shrine of Our Lady of Mercy, in Savona. It is the first Marian shrine built in Liguria and was designed by the architect Pace Antonio Sormano to celebrate the appearance of Mary on 8th March 1536. Although being rich in masterpieces and significant works of arts, the complex is little-known. In particular, the “Second Hospice”, which today hosts a rest-home managed by the local health-care authorities, was built in 1593 in order to answer to the increasing number of pilgrims visiting the Shrine, and has been variously transformed over time. The intervention of restoration here described, the last one realized, within a vaster programme which previously involved the interior and the roof structures , concerns the facade of the historical building - which, in spite of the apparent architectural unity, is the result of many different building phases, not all well-defined – and part of the sides. For this reason, the main objective of the intervention was to preserve all the material traces of this complex and partially unknown history, as much as possible, trying to limit the progressive damage which has occurred over time and, at the same time, trying to ensure that the architectural peculiarities of the façade and sides are still evident, once the restoration has been completed. Hence, the essay speaks about a restoration which is intended, first of all, as a moment of “listening” and as an act of deep “respect” toward what we have inherited from the past. This attitude implies that the intervention, far from being definitive, ought to be considered as an intermediate step in the long history of the building, which should not obliterate the traces of what has already happened. To let the building talk about its history also after the restoration, the aim of the project was not to realize long-lasting interventions. On the contrary, interventions arose in the prudent, meditative, minimalistic sphere of the ‘cure’, and in the sphere of an attentive maintenance which will surely need to be repeated in the future.

"Lasciar parlare il monumento". Restauri al Secondo Ospizio del santuario di Nostra Signora della Misericordia a Savona.

MUSSO, STEFANO FRANCESCO
2017-01-01

Abstract

The essay traces the origins and results of a project of restoration of the so-called “Second Hospice” in the Shrine of Our Lady of Mercy, in Savona. It is the first Marian shrine built in Liguria and was designed by the architect Pace Antonio Sormano to celebrate the appearance of Mary on 8th March 1536. Although being rich in masterpieces and significant works of arts, the complex is little-known. In particular, the “Second Hospice”, which today hosts a rest-home managed by the local health-care authorities, was built in 1593 in order to answer to the increasing number of pilgrims visiting the Shrine, and has been variously transformed over time. The intervention of restoration here described, the last one realized, within a vaster programme which previously involved the interior and the roof structures , concerns the facade of the historical building - which, in spite of the apparent architectural unity, is the result of many different building phases, not all well-defined – and part of the sides. For this reason, the main objective of the intervention was to preserve all the material traces of this complex and partially unknown history, as much as possible, trying to limit the progressive damage which has occurred over time and, at the same time, trying to ensure that the architectural peculiarities of the façade and sides are still evident, once the restoration has been completed. Hence, the essay speaks about a restoration which is intended, first of all, as a moment of “listening” and as an act of deep “respect” toward what we have inherited from the past. This attitude implies that the intervention, far from being definitive, ought to be considered as an intermediate step in the long history of the building, which should not obliterate the traces of what has already happened. To let the building talk about its history also after the restoration, the aim of the project was not to realize long-lasting interventions. On the contrary, interventions arose in the prudent, meditative, minimalistic sphere of the ‘cure’, and in the sphere of an attentive maintenance which will surely need to be repeated in the future.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11567/874232
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