The Jubilee Church (La Chiesa del Dio Padre Misericordioso), conceived as part of Pope John Paul II’s millennium initiative to rejuvenate parish life within Italy, is located outside central Rome. The triangular site is articulated three ways: first, dividing the sacred realm to the south, where the nave is located, from the secular precinct to the north; second, separating the approach on foot from the housing situated in the east; and third, again separating the approach on foot, from the parking lot situated to the west.
The paved sagrato to the east of the church extends into the heart of the housing complex and provides an open plaza for public assembly. The northern half of the site is divided into two courts: the eastern one is below ground by a full story, providing light and access to the lowest floor of the community center. Behind the church, the elevated western court is separated from the adjacent meditation court by a paved walkway that leads to the parking area.
The proportional structure of the entire complex is based on a series of squares and four circles. Three circles of equal radius generate the profiles of the three concrete shells that, together with the spine-wall, make up the body of the nave. While the three shells imply the Holy Trinity, the reflecting pool symbolizes the role played by water in the sacrament of Baptism. The materials used in the portico—the paving, the wall cladding and the liturgical furniture—allude to the body of Christ’s church while referencing the fabric of the adjacent residential area.
Glazed skylights suspended between the shells are lit by zenithal sidelight, and the nave is enlivened by a constantly changing pattern of light and shade. The light is diffused over the inner volume of the church and varies according to the hour, the weather, and the season, imparting a particular character to the aspects of the interior.
一个空灵的教堂设计，利用非凡的几何形状，创造一个新千年的朝圣地。
教堂的构想是应梵蒂冈的要求，作为教皇约翰保罗二世在意大利振兴教区生活的千年倡议的一部分。该设计位于罗马市中心外的一个三角形场地，包括一个用于公共集会的铺砌广场、一个倒影池和两个用于调解和聚会的开放式庭院——一个是地下的完整楼层，另一个是高架的——并小心地融入了周围的城市环境。整个建筑群的几何形状基于具有丰富象征意义的柏拉图式形状的永恒组合。
复杂的比例结构是基于一系列的正方形和圆形。三个等半径的圆产生了三个混凝土外壳的轮廓，它们与脊柱墙一起构成了中殿的主体。三个贝壳暗示着三位一体，而倒影池则象征着水在洗礼圣事中所扮演的角色。门廊中使用的材料——铺路、墙面覆层和礼仪家具——暗示了基督教堂的主体以及邻近住宅区的结构。
该建筑的三个混凝土外壳，每个外壳都是球形截面，提供了象征性和美学的巧妙结合。这种三重结构再次让人想起神圣的三位一体，而分层外壳之间的开口为玻璃天窗创造了空间，以不断变化的光影模式使中殿活跃起来。飘渺的自然光散布在教堂的内部空间，并随着时间、天气和季节的变化而变化，赋予内部一种难以言喻的特殊性。
