SAN LUIGI ORATORY
The theme of community and the idea of creating a space and an architecture for meeting have guided all the long and complex phases of this project: one of the few newly built Oratories of the Diocese of Milan, the San Luigi Oratory of the Parish of Casorezzo.
The project for the new Oratory began in 2005, when we were invited to participate in a design competition. Initially planned for a different area and under the guidance of a different parish priest, the project stalled for many years. It was the enthusiasm and determination of the new parish priest, Don Eugenio Baio, along with the close and effective collaboration with the Administrative Office of the Diocese of Milan and the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI), that reignited the project on a different site. Their support enabled us to develop it to its final approval and eventual construction.
The process was lengthy and complicated, with challenging and delicate phases, but also moments of great intensity and exceptional collaboration and exchange between the involved parties—both from cultural and pastoral perspectives, as well as technical ones. Despite differing points of view, we shared a common goal of architectural quality, aiming to create a built environment that reflects the importance and value of its pastoral and social functions. Since childhood, in a nearby village, we’ve always thought of the oratory as a place of gathering and connection, where people come together to engage in diverse activities, even more so than in schools or courtyards.
The construction of the new oratory building, adjacent to the Church of San Giorgio Martire, is part of a broader plan for the redevelopment of the entire parish area. This included demolishing the old cinema-theater, creating new green spaces for outdoor activities and play, and designing the so-called Oratory Square—landscaped and planted as a hub connecting the various urban elements of the composition. Unfortunately, the overall plan has not yet been completed, and the former cinema-theater remains standing. However, the new building is finished and functioning very well.
From an architectural standpoint, the new building takes inspiration from the church, both in terms of its volumetric presence and materiality, characterized by exposed brickwork. The design is a composition of essential lines and volumes, defined by the brick cladding and the presence of a portico. It merges the sober and authoritative character of the religious institution with the welcoming, playful, and domestic nature an oratory should embody. Designed as an integrated system, the side and apse of the church and the new oratory are envisioned as contiguous and connected, both functionally (allowing direct passage between the church and the oratory) and architecturally, contributing to and enhancing the external space of the square.
Religious buildings, besides being urban spaces for social interaction, traditionally qualify and enhance the environment and landscape in which they are set. The new San Luigi Oratory, despite its simplicity, seeks to be a building of distinctive architectural quality—in its form, material usage, relationship with the built context and existing structures, but above all, in its open and welcoming character and its capacity to serve as a place of community and connection.
Positioned opposite the entrance from Piazza San Giorgio, the building runs parallel to the church and extends in depth to the rear fence along Via dell’Asilo. It consists of a front section facing the square, with two above-ground floors and a basement level, and a rear section towards Via dell’Asilo, featuring a single double-height level. The front volume is bordered on two sides by a corner portico: double-height towards the church and square entrance, and lower on the side facing the outdoor play fields. On the ground floor, there is the entrance, a recreational activities room with a bar, and large windows that open onto the porticoed outdoor spaces, allowing people to be outside while protected from rain and sun.
On the first floor, there are five classrooms for catechism and small group activities, as well as a larger room for collective meetings. The large room and corridor offer a distinctive view of the church’s apse. The basement level houses changing rooms serving the outdoor sports fields and a storage area.
The second volume is a large, single-span hall designed for multifunctional use. The idea is to make this hall as flexible as possible to accommodate all the typical activities of an oratory. It can be used for gatherings, prayer meetings, or, most importantly, the classic oratory activities during the winter months. A side window wall allows direct access to the green area and outdoor sports fields.
