The Archaeological Park of Siponto, where the wire church rests, is describes as a “site of great importance,” that gives insight into the ancient city’s role as a major Roman port. Archaeologists say the presence of the basilica signals that Siponto was one of the key dioceses in the region. The ancient Christian church was destroyed in an earthquake in the 13th century, and abandoned afterwards.
Related: Incipit is a wire mesh sculpture by the sea that looks totally unreal
Tresoldi remained true to the architectural heritage of Puglia, drawing on the Apulian-Romanesque style present in surviving historical buildings in the area, such as the church next to the site, Santa Maria Maggiore di Siponto. Tresoldi’s massive basilica includes towering columns, a dome, and even mesh statues.
Curator Simone Pallotta said, “The work of Edoardo Tresoldi appears as a majestic architectural sculpture that tells the volume of the existing early Christian church and, at the same time, is able to vivify, and update the relationship between the ancient and the contemporary.”
The wire church is open to visitors, and is meant to evoke a modern experience of an ancient spiritual space. The church has an ethereal appearance at twilight, and prompts reverence and wonder for the history and grandeur of the site.
Tresoldi is a painter and sculptor who studied design and visual arts in college and has worked as a film scene painter. He has been creating metal mesh sculptures since 2013.
Via Colossal
Images via Edoardo Tresoldi on Behance
