MDA Dome

The project

The dome of the Church of Madonna degli Angeli is one of the earliest examples of reinforced concrete in Turin, and is probably the first to be used in a religious building in Italy.

In 1901, Count Carlo Ceppi, an architect and urban planner, was commissioned to expand the church of Madonna degli Angeli. As well as working on the crypt, foundations, attic and facades, he also constructed the presbytery and bell tower.
Ceppi modified and integrated some of the existing structures with a material that had just been patented in Turin, demonstrating his great technical expertise, as well as his extraordinary curiosity and passion for construction.

In extending the building, he created a false transept crowned by a dome — a 20^(th)-century architectural element that was perfectly integrated into a 17^(th)-century context. It is dazzling in its richness of gilding and is enhanced by the spectacular use of zenithal light.

However, this apparent eclectic and neo-Baroque harmony conceals a complex technical challenge: on two lowered solid brick arches (visible only on the extrados, hidden inside the church), Ceppi laid a ‘sheet’ of reinforced concrete over 10 metres wide and 90 centimetres thick with a circular hole in the centre measuring approximately eight metres in diameter. On this unprecedented structure, the dome was hoisted -as if it were the most natural thing in the world! – complete with a colonnade and upper dome, all adorned with stucco, vaults, and bas-reliefs.

Restoration works
When in 2022 the plaster began to fall off and the cracks in the nails became a cause for concern, Stilò — with Andrea Negri providing structural solutions — designed and supervised the restoration and static consolidation project. This project aimed to reinforce and consolidate the false ceilings and decorative parts, and involved a group of restorers led by Roberto Palumbo, as well as the highly specialised workforce of the Sacco construction company.

All together, following in Ceppi’s footsteps.