Just like its cuisine, the architecture of Friuli-Venezia Giulia often reflects the influence of neighboring countries Austria and Slovenia, as well as the region’s former ruler, the Venetian Republic. It is therefore no surprise that design characteristics such as onion domes and trilobed windows abound in this corner of Italy. In contrast, one may also find numerous examples of modernist architecture throughout the region.
Here, I describe five churches that stand out to me as being particularly distinctive. Whether incorporating elements of a notable architectural style or featuring a one-of-a-kind contemporary design, each one is immediately recognizable and unique in its own way.
Chiesa di San Spiridione, Trieste
Chiesa di San Spiridione was originally built in the 1750s, when Hapsburg empress Maria Theresa authorized free practice of religion for Orthodox Christians, causing Trieste to see an influx of Serbian immigrants. The church is located in the Borgo Teresiano district, just off the Canal Grande. Since this new district had been built atop the city’s buried salt pans, the ground was deemed unstable in the 1860s, and a decision was made to demolish and rebuild the church.
The floor plan of this Serbian Orthodox church is that of a Greek cross, different from the standard Christian cross in that the arms are of equal length. The large central dome is flanked by four smaller cupolas, capping bell towers at each arm of the cross. These massive blue domes are visible from afar as one of Trieste’s most easily recognizable landmarks. Typical of Eastern Orthodox architectural style, the underside of the central dome is painted with the characteristic Byzantine motif of blue sky and gold stars. In fact, the entire ceiling is covered in frescoes designed to imitate gold mosaics. (To save money, only the external walls were embellished with real mosaics.)
Among the treasures contained within are a large, silver votive lamp, donated by future Tsar of Russia Paul I, and four gold and silver icons that were crafted in Russia during the mid-1800s. Rows of floor candelabras line the path to the iconostasis, the light from their long tapers reflecting off the glistening precious metals and golden ceiling.
Santuario di Monte Grisa, Trieste
Santuario Nazionale a Maria Madre e Regina di Monte Grisa (a.k.a. Tempio Mariano) is located just north of Trieste, between the town of Barcola and Castello di Miramare. Perched upon the karst cliffs, approximately 1,000 feet above sea level, this eclectic church was built in the mid-1960s, two decades after Trieste’s archbishop vowed to have a temple erected if the city were to be saved from total destruction during WWII.
In designing his trapezoidal, reinforced concrete structure, architect Antonio Guacci was inspired by the image of a diamond solitaire and utilized numerous classical mathematical concepts, particularly those based on the triangle, a symbol representing the Holy Trinity in Christianity. The church’s striking geometric shape carries even more symbolism. The key design element, inside and out, is the modular hexagon, reminiscent of a beehive, with its repeating hexagonal pattern. Within this pattern can be perceived the letters A and M, representing the initials of “Ave Maria” (Latin for “Hail Mary”).
Externally, the church is made up of three trapezoids, a tall, central one flanked by a smaller one on the front and back. Inside are two halls, a relatively dark lower hall and a luminous upper one. In the upper hall, the triangular profile of the structure, with the downward, inward point of its bell compartment, draws a large letter M, another allusion to the Virgin Mary. While in many areas the honeycomb-patterned walls are solid, much of the facade in the upper hall consists of glass panels supported by ribs of concrete. Light floods through these windows, creating a web of triangular shadows on the opposite walls.
Duomo dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo, Muggia
Located in Piazza Marconi, the Duomo dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo was built in the Romanesque style during the 13th century over the remains of an ancient church. After much of the region was conquered by the Venetian Republic in 1420, the church was remodeled, its facade clad in white stone slabs and given a trilobed shape, characteristic of Venetian-Gothic architecture. A rose window was also added during this time, with a relief of the Madonna and Child in the center. The Venetian trilobed motif may also be found within the framework of the rose window, as well as in the two tall mullioned windows on either side of the door.
Over the door is a lunette, containing a high relief of the Holy Trinity, with Saints John and Paul kneeling on either side of the throne. It has been noted that the depiction of Jesus in this work is rather unusual. He is shown sitting on God’s lap, his body the relative size of a toddler but his bearded face that of a fully-grown man.
Chiesa di Sant’Ignazio, Gorizia
In the mid-17th century, Jesuits in Gorizia began construction on a complex of buildings in what is now Piazza della Vittoria, at the foot of the city’s castle hill. These buildings included a college and a church dedicated to the Jesuit founder, Saint Ignatius. After just a year of construction, the church’s walls collapsed due to heavy rain, and work was forced to begin anew. Shortly after this, the bubonic plague struck, and work was halted for several decades, the facade finally being completed in the early 18th century.
With its gray-beige columns set against white stone walls, the structure’s exterior offers something of a chiaroscuro effect, a contrast of light and dark. The facade is divided into three distinct levels. The uppermost consists of a triangular pediment flanked by a pair of bell towers, each topped by a bronze onion dome. A design feature once associated with the Russian Orthodox style, but which may now be found throughout Austria and Northeast Italy, these bluish-green domes are perhaps the most recognizable landmark in Gorizia.
The interior of the church features a number of elements typical of the Baroque style, including an ornate red and white marble altar and lavish carved and inlaid wooden furnishings. The floor was originally paved in a checkered pattern of black and white tiles, but this was later replaced by tiles of red and white marble.
Chiesa di Cristo Re, Timau
At the foot of the Bosco Bandito beech forest lies Timau, the northernmost village in Carnia’s Bût Valley. It was to this town, at the end of WWII, that a retreating German commander donated a large sum of money to fund the construction of a new church. Named Chiesa di Cristo Re, this church took 18 years to build, finally being completed in 1964.
The outer walls are constructed of rough, gray stones and bricks, echoing the color of the mountains that tower over the town. The pink facade is capped by three rounded, blue arches and features a mosaic of Christ produced by the mosaic school of Spilimbergo. Inside the church is a giant crucifix, one of the largest in Europe at nearly 40 feet high, built by master sculptors from the Trentino-Alto Adige region.
