The Church of San Giovanni Battista in Mogno, deep in the Valle Maggia in Tessin is one of Mario Botta’s most iconic churches. He is certainly known for his architecture and has created other stunning churches in Switzerland, but this one was originally quite controversial.
History of the Church of San Giovanni Battista
The original Church of San Giovanni Battista sat in the exact same spot in Mogna from its construction in 1626, that was until an avalanche completely destroyed it in 1986. The resulting destruction of the church was so complete that only two bells could be re-used by Botta in his reconstruction.
The town’s then-mayor Giovan Luigi Dazio called on Mario Botta to design a new church in its place. A striking black and white building, shaped like a sliced cylinder that stands out from its surroundings. It was built by Botta between 1992 and 1996 using as many local materials as possible.
Botta’s church was not something that was initially embraced, but it was certainly noticed far and wide. He was asked as a result of this work to start another nearby church on Monte Tamaro during its construction.
The Church Design
Many pieces have been written about the striking design of the Church of San Giovanni Battista, which comes as no surprise. The alternating black and white stone made from local Riveo granite and white Peccia marble are uniquely combined in every element of its design.
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On the inside, the round shape of the building leads the eyes ever upward to the glass ceiling. Connecting the building with the divine in some way, the glass roof is only interrupted by two large central buttresses that also curve their way to the roof.
The altar is also quite a centerpiece with a semi-circular chequered background with black and white lines leading to its base.
Stepping back and admiring the building from afar as I did on my visit, it is hard to believe this is a church. The heavy stonework with the industrial feel of the site leads you to think it is a weird piece of art of industrial complex from Dr Evil perhaps?
I shall leave it up to you to decide if you like it or not when you visit it yourself!
