A Heavenly Dome

THE LITURGICAL FEAST of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina will be celebrated on 23 September; it will be the third celebration to be held since the 'stigmatised friar' was canonised by Pope John Paul II on 16 June 2002. For the first time, however, it will take place in a new shrine. It is for this reason that on 23 of this month, the number of devotees pouring into San Giovanni Rotondo, where the saint is buried, will probably exceed all expectations.

Controversial friar

Padre Pio, a Capuchin friar born at Pietrelcina near Benevento, in southern Italy, died in San Giovanni Rotondo on 23 September 1968. His life aroused great interest worldwide on account of the stigmata which tormented his body and soul for over fifty years, and the numerous miracles attributed to him. Despite the great religious fervour and self-denial evident in his life, many people saw him with suspicion, and surely the most distressing of his personal crosses was the calvary of persecution that Padre Pio experienced at the hands of fellow churchmen. Towards the end of his life he said to his confrères, who were pointing out how most of his initiatives had been met with opposition both from within and outside the Church, I'll make greater stir when I'm dead than when I was alive.
These were to become words of prophecy, for interest in this holy friar has only increased since his death. He is as popular today as any top movie-star or singer, and is the subject of much attention on the part of the media. Over six million pilgrims flock each year to San Giovanni Rotondo to pray at his tomb.

New shrine necessary

We just couldn't contain the ever growing number of pilgrims flowing into the old church, and we had to build a bigger one, says Father Gerardo Saldutto, the friar who oversaw the construction of the new shrine.
They have been sixteen long years of hard work: six were spent in the effort to come up with the appropriate architectural design, and the last ten were dedicated to the actual work of building the shrine itself. But the work is over at last! The church was consecrated on 1st July 2004, and from now on this will forever be 'the shrine' of Padre Pio.
The church is quite unique, and of sublime beauty. This architectural masterpiece was designed by Renzo Piano, one of the very finest architects in the world who could be described as a 'master' without fear of promptly being taken to task.
The edifice is not only a church, it includes other facilities as well, Father Gerardo continues. What you see is but a small part of the whole compound. It's only the tip of the iceberg. Renzo Piano was able to make use of every single corner, and use to the full the limited space available to create more facilities.
Below the church, which is actually called the Padre Pio Liturgical Hall (the only visible part of the compound), there are other constructions. First of all, there is a crypt which serves as a second, smaller church; it has a surface area of 500 square meters and can seat 370 people. Then there is the penitentiary, which is a hall for confessions of 700 square meters with 31 double confessionals placed along the perimeter. The central part is filled with rows of wooden kneeling-stools for 200 people. Then there are a further three halls used for meetings, debates, and to view films with seats arranged in the stalls and along the balconies. Finally, the whole compound is equipped with restrooms, reception rooms for pilgrims and information offices. Next to the stately Liturgical Hall there are constructions which are invisible from the outside: the Chapel of the Eucharist, with a surface area of 120 square metes and 64 seats, and the sacristy (550 square meters), which can hold up to 300 people.

Breathtaking grandeur

The real attraction of this new shrine is, however, the impressive church which extends over a surface of 5,700 square meters. It has a capacity for 6,500 seats with a further 2,000 people standing, totalling almost 9,000 people.
Renzo Piano is a real genius. He was able to remain true to our original intentions of keeping the spatial extension of the Liturgical Hall within due bounds and yet maintain its capacity to house great crowds. He was able to achieve this by designing the entrance in front of a rectangular courtyard of 8,000 square meters which can hold up to 40,000 people. This courtyard is built with such mastery that it slopes gently towards the church entrance in such a way that the faithful can see the main altar and participate in the religious rites from any location within the courtyard. It is, in reality, a continuation of the Liturgical Hall.
Father Gerardo speaks with increasing enthusiasm and passion, and is at pains to explain that pompous ostentation has always been far removed from the intentions of the Capuchins. We are Franciscans, he explains, and our spirit is both practical and humble. We needed a church capable of housing great crowds, but which, at the same time, would give the impression of modesty and seclusion. And Renzo Piano was able to achieve both in a masterly way. The spiralling, shell-like form of the church, which gives it the appearance of being small from the outside, does not betray the wide expanses of the internal arches, and these create an atmosphere of warmth and spirituality congenial for prayer.
In order to generate so much space, it was first of all necessary to hew out 70,000 cubic meters of hard rock from the mountain. 30,000 cubic meters of cement were used, together with 1,320 blocks of stone for a total of 900 cubic meters. We were careful not to damage the delightful vegetation around the mountain, maintains Father Gerardo. Padre Pio was a great lover of nature, so we camouflaged his shrine within the vegetation-filled landscape. 2,000 cypress trees were planted around the church, together with 500 pine trees, 230 oaks, 30 olive trees, 400 berry trees, 550 myrtles, 23,000 lavender plants and 5,000 ivies.
The Liturgical Hall offers a breathtaking view. The huge vault is held in place by a double series of arches arranged in a radial pattern, each arch is displaced by 10 degrees from the preceding one, with a progressive decline in height and in the amount of light from the courtyard down into the interior. The first arch, at the threshold to the Liturgical Hall, with a span of 45.8 meters, rises 15.7 meters from the ground: it is the greatest stone arch in the world. All of the 22 arches radiate out from one single pillar which sustains the whole construction. This massive column is based on a plinth 26 meters wide, embedded 6 meters into the stone. The plinth was built with one single casting of reinforced concrete, and was completed in 74 hours with the aid of 350 truck mixers.
The architectural complex is internally decorated with works of great value by celebrities like Arnaldo Pomodoro, who designed the altar, and the crucifix above it; Giuliano Vangi, the author of the sculptures decorating the marble pulpit, and Floriano Bodini, who created the tabernacle. A gigantic 500-square-meter stained glass window separates the Liturgical Hall from the courtyard. The window portrays a majestic scene from the Apocalypse of Saint John, and was adapted from the famous tapestries of Angers, France, by artist Robert Rauschenberg. A stately 40-meter cross built out of Apricena stone rises from the courtyard.

Spirit betrayed?

This is all very fine, is my remark to Father Gerardo, but a lot of people are saying that all this magnificence is not in harmony with the humble and reserved spirit of Padre Pio.
These are misguided comments, Father Gerardo replies. We decided upon a bigger church to fulfil Padre Pio's desire, which he expressed while he was still alive. When he first arrived in San Giovanni Rotondo in 1916, there was only a small chapel on what was then a rocky, desolate mountain. The small convent beside it was used by a few hermits. The nearest houses were 3 kilometres away, and connected by a winding, rocky road. It was Padre Pio's presence that began to attract crowds. When, in 1918, Padre Pio was stigmatised, people began flocking to the church. After a short time, it proved incapable of holding the increasing numbers of people, much to Padre Pio's disappointment. It was only in the 50s that the friars managed to build a bigger church. While the works were in progress Padre Pio would often urge Father Carmelo, the Superior of the Convent, to build a big church capable of containing the ever growing number of pilgrims. The inauguration took place on 1 July 1959. However, after cutting the ribbon and entering the church, Padre Pio expressed his disappointment in no uncertain terms by saying But this is only a small matchbox!
We feel sure that Padre Pio likes this church. I personally have no doubts about it because, during these last 16 years of hard work, I have had to cope with many seemingly unsurpassable problems, but always, at the last moment, something mysterious happened that would solve the problem. I always felt Padre Pio's supportive presence besides me, influencing the course of events.

A colossal statue

The new shrine, however, is by no means the only initiative drawing its inspiration from Padre Pio's example. Practically every month, in some part of Italy or the world, a monument dedicated to him is unveiled, or a prayer group is formed, a clinic is opened or some charitable association springs up.
One of the most curious of works dedicated to the saint from Pietrelcina is a colossal statue which is currently being formed and pieced together at Apice Vecchia, a small town of Roman origins not far from San Giovanni Rotondo. The town was almost completely destroyed by an earthquake in 1962, and very few people are now living there. One of these is the famous sculptor, Lello Izzo, a specialist in building huge statues.
The most imposing monument to Padre Pio is right here, says Mr Izzo. It is a 22 meter-long statue which, with the base, will reach a height of 27 meters. It will therefore be one of the highest statues in the world. This statue was commissioned by a famous business man from Milan who, however, desires to remain anonymous, and who wants to 'repay' Padre Pio for a great grace he has received. The statue is out in the open next to an industrial building. It is composed by various pieces, none of which, however, is small enough to be kept inside a normal sized hall.
I come from Benevento, says maestro Izzo. I love the stigmatised friar. He is the protector of our family. Lello Izzo is a 60-year-old man who has worked in Milan, Rome and in Florence, but has now returned to his native region. I'm a specialist in huge statues, explains Izzo. I know how to create monuments of any height because I discovered a plastic substance which is more resistant than marble, but more ductile and of lighter weight. I have built gigantic statues in various parts of the world. One day a business man arrived from Milan. He arrived in his private jet accompanied by some of advisers. He wanted to meet me and see my works. He then asked me to go with him to San Giovanni Rotondo. We met a friar there, with whom he had a long, private conversation. After this meeting, the man was visibly moved, and told me he wanted me to build a huge statue. The greatest monument to Padre Pio imaginable.
We are having problems with the height, continues Izzo. Various cities were interested, but the Ministry of Fine Arts has blocked the projects on account of the excessive height, and the incompatibility with the landscape. The statue requires an open, panoramic area. The sea coast or a hill would be ideal, because this way it could be seen from afar. We have initiated talks with various other Town Councils. We think the statue should be ideally placed next to a spiritual retreat. These are all grand designs, but we have great faith in Padre Pio, and feel sure that, in the end, he'll fix everything up as usual.