Today we are pleased to introduce our readers to the architect, Carmine Carapella of Carapella Architecture. Carapella is Italian and, more specifically, he is a Roman by birth -- a venerable legacy in its own right to be certain. He began his career in architecture by studying at the University of Rome before moving to the new world to study architecture at the University of Notre Dome, mentoring under and eventually working with the likes of Thomas Gordon Smith on important projects such as the new seminary of Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter's in Denton, Nebraska.
Carapella comments that his "own relationship with this [Roman] tradition is both intellectual and personal. I am an Italian and from Rome, a city in which classical and Renaissance architecture is not simply studied in books but encountered every day. Rome provided the physical and cultural environment in which my architectural sensibility developed. Before moving to the new world, I worked with the Catholic Church in Rome, gaining firsthand professional experience with the old world institution and architectural culture.." Carapella brings that Italian and Roman formation to bear in his own architectural approach and practice, both sacred as well as secular.
In the domain of the sacred, he recently came up with an impactful design for a prospective church built within this grand tradition, "conceived as a contemporary work of traditional-classical architecture rooted in the Roman Renaissance, with the architecture of Andrea Palladio serving as a principal inspiration." He comments that "the intention was not to reproduce a historic church, but to reinterpret the principles of Renaissance architecture for a contemporary Catholic community."
Continuing, Carapella comments:
The project was organized around the classical principles of proportion, symmetry, hierarchy, rhythm and order. These principles were not intended as superficial decoration; they formed the architectural structure of the building itself. The exterior combined masonry, classical architectural elements, a monumental entrance and a carefully balanced composition of towers and domed forms, giving the church a strong ecclesiastical presence. The design was deliberately composed as a unified architectural whole. From the principal façade to the secondary volumes and from the roofline to the smallest classical details, the intention was to establish a clear hierarchy in which every element contributed to the character of the church. The building was meant to possess the dignity expected of a Catholic sacred building while remaining approachable and connected to the life of its parish. Inside, the architecture was organized around a clear longitudinal axis leading toward the sanctuary. Columns, arches, cornices and other classical elements established a rhythmic sequence through the nave, creating a sense of procession and directing the congregation toward the liturgical centre of the church. Sacred art was conceived as an integral part of the architecture, rather than something added afterward. The relationship between architecture, art and Catholic liturgy was therefore central to the design. The project also incorporated a landscaped courtyard intended as an extension of the parish community—a place for parishioners to gather, meet and remain together before and after Mass. In this way, the church was conceived not simply as a place of worship, but as a setting for the broader life of a Catholic community.So you might ask, why is Palladio so important for Carapella? For Carapella, the Palladian influence was more than a mere aesthetic choice. He comments that "Palladio studied the architecture of ancient Rome and transformed its principles into a new architectural language based upon clarity, proportion and harmony, as such I approached this project with a similar objective: not to build a Renaissance church, but rather to discover what Renaissance architectural principles could contribute to a church designed today."
The resulting architectural design he came up with for this church, therefore, "sought to be traditional without being a theatrical prop, contemporary without being merely 'trendy,' and monumental without losing its sense of being the home of a parish community." Carapella believes that "this approach is particularly appropriate to Catholic architecture for the Renaissance was one of the great periods in the development of Western Christian architecture, when classical ideas of geometry and proportion were brought into close relationship with liturgy, symbolism and sacred art."
To accomplish his goals, Carapella conceived of a design for church that was not only focused on being a place for liturgical services (though obviously that is indeed its primary raison d'être), but also a place that would begin to form and shape the experience of the worshipper beginning from their very arrival at the church itself, leading into the nave and finally to the altar and sanctuary itself.
If you would be interested in learning more about Carmine Carapella, we would invite you to visit the website of Carapella Architecture.
Credits: Design for the interiors, colours, mosaic and floor design, along with the renderings, were the work of Carmine Carapella and his assistant, Soha Alchabab.
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