The event “To dare, building for the faith. 50 years of Pier Luigi Nervi’s Paul VI Hall” took place on June 28th, 2021, at Palazzo Borromeo. Msgr. Leonardo Sapienza, Regent of the Prefecture of the Papal Household, Margherita Guccione, Director of MAXXI Architecture, and Maristella Casciato, Senior Curator of the Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles, participated to the meeting.
It was the occasion to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the inauguration of the Aula Nervi, later renamed “Aula Paolo VI” by Pope John Paul II. The Aula, designed by the Italian engineer Pier Luigi Nervi, was commissioned by Paul VI in 1963 and inaugurated in 1971. The Aula Paolo VI was built according to new architectural forms to underline the novelty of the Church, giving the idea of a perennial and constantly moving Church, animated by a lively and ever young community.
As Margherita Guccione pointed out, the Paul VI Audience Hall has had great influence all over the world, offering original ideas beyond the architectural outcomes. The style and original technical solutions adopted by Nervi have contributed to the success of the artist, who has created works all over the world. The Paul VI Audience Hall, with a trapezoidal plan, is a majestic place that shows the relevance of a timeless space. From 1971 to date, the Aula Paolo VI has hosted many international meetings and concerts and has become a point of reference for the faithful.
