In Avilla there is the church of St. Peter the Apostle, the first church in Friuli to be rebuilt in the wake of the devastating 1976 earthquake. A modern style was chosen. It was designed by architect Delino Manzoni, like its sister church built in Prato San Pietro di Cortenova, by Lecco. The then priest of Avilla fell for the cosy and quiet atmosphere of the latter church and thought a similar church would be suitable for his earthquake-devastated and church-deprived congregation.
The church floorplan has a twelve-sided shape, with a copper roof supported by twelve inward-bending pillars. However, the most surprising fact for such a modern-looking church is the amount of art treasures it harbours, which can be explained by its long history punctuated by repeated rises and falls which characterised it ever since 1330.
The main entrance gate contains the three doors of the previous church building, embellished with skilfully decorated bronze tiles created by the artists Monassi, Pezzetta and Galina. In his six bronze tiles, the renowned medal engraver Guerrino Mattia Monassi capturse the history of the church and of some meaningful community life moments.
The stained-glass window in the upper section of the façade was created by artist Arrigo Poz in 1994 and pays tribute to the church of Aquileia; the other stained-glass windows with their geometrical shapes were completed by the same artist in 2009.
The statue of the Immaculate Madonna takes pride of place on the main altar. It is made of terracotta and was manufactured by some limeburners from Buja who were working in the Munich suburb of Haidhausen in 1875. It had been designed and then painted by German artist Joseph Knabel (1818-1881), who at the time held the chair of sculpture at Munich University. The statue, devoted to Our Lady of Health, protector of limeburners, arrived in Avilla on 21st November 1876.
The church floorplan has a twelve-sided shape, with a copper roof supported by twelve inward-bending pillars. However, the most surprising fact for such a modern-looking church is the amount of art treasures it harbours, which can be explained by its long history punctuated by repeated rises and falls which characterised it ever since 1330.
The main entrance gate contains the three doors of the previous church building, embellished with skilfully decorated bronze tiles created by the artists Monassi, Pezzetta and Galina. In his six bronze tiles, the renowned medal engraver Guerrino Mattia Monassi capturse the history of the church and of some meaningful community life moments.
The stained-glass window in the upper section of the façade was created by artist Arrigo Poz in 1994 and pays tribute to the church of Aquileia; the other stained-glass windows with their geometrical shapes were completed by the same artist in 2009.
The statue of the Immaculate Madonna takes pride of place on the main altar. It is made of terracotta and was manufactured by some limeburners from Buja who were working in the Munich suburb of Haidhausen in 1875. It had been designed and then painted by German artist Joseph Knabel (1818-1881), who at the time held the chair of sculpture at Munich University. The statue, devoted to Our Lady of Health, protector of limeburners, arrived in Avilla on 21st November 1876.
Another work of art devoted to her is the large stained-glass window designed in 1959 by Alessandro Ricardi di Netro, whose workshop was located in the castle of Colloredo di Montalbano. The window tells the story of Our Lady of Health, protector of limeburners and the story of migrant limeburners, who are portrayed whilst they are moulding bricks against the backdrop of the Haidhausen furnace. The outer frame uses six smaller scenes to tell the story of the statue: on the left the moulding stage, then the cooking of the clay sculpture followed by the statue being painted in Munich. On the right there are the coat of arms of Bavaria and that of Friuli Venezia Giulia, as well as the depiction of the statue’s arrival in Italy and its transfer to Buja.
In 2001 two tiles cooked in the Vilsbiburg furnace were donated to the church. The town is twinned with Buja as it used to be a popular destination for migrating Buja-born limeburners.
The Stations of the Cross is the most notable art cycle in the church. Each one of the 14 bronze tiles is the pro-bono work by 14 prominent Italian artists from the 50s: Aurelio Mistruzzi, Francesco Nagni, Luciano Minguzzi, Edoardo Alfieri, Alessandro Monteleone, Marcello Mascherini, Giuseppe Negrisin, Mimi (Domenico) Maria Lazzaro, Pericle Fazzini, Franco Girelli, Nicola Rubino, Ugo Carà, Michele Guerrisi, Attilio Selva.
Church di San Pietro Apostolo
Piazza Avilla - Buja
Tel.: +39 0432 960255
parr.avilla@gmail.com oppure pievesanlorenzo@tin.it
In 2001 two tiles cooked in the Vilsbiburg furnace were donated to the church. The town is twinned with Buja as it used to be a popular destination for migrating Buja-born limeburners.
The Stations of the Cross is the most notable art cycle in the church. Each one of the 14 bronze tiles is the pro-bono work by 14 prominent Italian artists from the 50s: Aurelio Mistruzzi, Francesco Nagni, Luciano Minguzzi, Edoardo Alfieri, Alessandro Monteleone, Marcello Mascherini, Giuseppe Negrisin, Mimi (Domenico) Maria Lazzaro, Pericle Fazzini, Franco Girelli, Nicola Rubino, Ugo Carà, Michele Guerrisi, Attilio Selva.
Church di San Pietro Apostolo
Piazza Avilla - Buja
Tel.: +39 0432 960255
parr.avilla@gmail.com oppure pievesanlorenzo@tin.it
Venzone - Udine