Saint Cataldo Cemetery

Description

Aldo Rossi is one of the most influential theorists of the second half of the 20th century. In addition to composition, Rossi designed buildings that expressed some of the ideas he theorised. This cemetery stands out as perhaps the most representative of them. Situated next to another cemetery designed by Cesare Costa in the early 19th century, Rossi’s design was based on a study of 19th-century Jewish cemeteries in the area. From this research he was able to synthesise a building type that he believed embodied enduring architectural lessons. This connection with typology, coupled with a personal incident that led him to reflect on the structure of the body, guided the design of the new cemetery. This ‘house of the dead’ is not meant to convey hope, but to be a monumental expression of the place where the dead live without the daily needs of the living. A large perimeter wall with regular openings separates the outside world from the world of the dead. This boundary is opened by a monumental portico that leads to the interior. After crossing the threshold, the visitor comes to the ossuary, a large abstract cube crossed by a path. From the outside, it looks like a massive cube with dark holes in it, but when we cross the threshold we see that it was just a wall, and the sky becomes visible to our eyes. The cemetery is made up of fragments that reinterpret architectural types and lie in the meadow as if time had stood still.  The original plan was never completed, but perhaps this unfinished state adds to the poetics of the place. A house where windows, doors and other architectural elements take on a new meaning.