Chapel In The Woods

Studio Zermani e Associati, Parma, Italy, 2012

Key words: Bricks, Cross, Landscape, Pilgrimage, Prayer, Wall

CHAPEL IN THE WOODS - Photography: © Mauro Davoli

The Chapel in the Woods project situates itself along the historic pilgrimage route of the Romea road, embedding sacred symbolism within the hilly landscape. Positioned at the end of a 300-metre path between house and forest, the intervention consists of a 9x6 metre brick wall supporting an iron cross of similar height, alongside a simple seat. The composition is stark yet powerful, functioning both as a landmark and as a ritual space that anchors prayer in the rhythms of nature and history.

Materiality and context are central. The wall, built of locally characteristic pink bricks, evokes regional traditions, while the rust-coloured steel cross recalls the ferruginous waters of the Moglia stream. Their placement across a slope ties the project into the morphology of the terrain, with the cross facing the canal and road to St. Lucia’s shrine and the ninth-century castle. The daily movement of sunlight reinforces the symbolic dimension: at dawn, the cross is illuminated, its shadow slowly traversing the wall and ground before disappearing, embedding the cycle of time in the act of devotion.

Critically, the project is notable for its minimal means. Though austere, the pairing of wall and cross achieves a profound resonance, bridging natural, historical, and spiritual dimensions while offering pilgrims and villagers a contemplative pause.