San Biagio’s Cemetery

By Editorial Staff - 12 January 2010

The particular location of this extension to the cemetery of Finalborgo is a key factor and pertinent to both the solution chosen and the way this blends with its surrounds.
The cemetery itself has been gradually built up over successive periods along its backbone: a very long 19th century arcade. This latest extension comes at the very end of the backbone at the furthest point from the entrance and abutting onto an enclosure wall, beyond which lies a large area earmarked for future extension requirements. The architectural solution adopted takes its cue from the fact that it marks the conclusion of one area and the prelude – like the wings in a theatre – to a whole new area. The design is abstract, neutral and immaterial eschewing the tired clichés of modern cemetery architecture. Everything is airy and light. The cleanness of line reflects sky, gravel, grass, rain and even ourselves. Beyond the glass wall, the burial niches are set in what appears like a huge cement sarcophagus clad with adjoining slabs of serena stone.
The exposed side is protected by a glass and steel cantilever roof while on the inside, the glass wall and stone slabs create an intimate covered area: a passage way protecting the visitor from the elements and leading him into this very private place of contemplation.
Throughout the material offsets the immaterial: the monolithic concrete base sunk into the ground contrasts with the glass that reflects the blue of the sky, as if to embody the contrast between the fixity of memory and remembering and the transience of the spirit.

Marco Ciarlo