The Presence of Protestant Architecture in the Frate Sole International Prize

1996-2016

Abstract

This essay is an analysis of the Protestant participation in the six editions of the Premio Internazionale di Architettura Sacra Frate Sole (International Prize of Church Architecture Frate Sole) 1996-2016. A presence that has been increasing over the years, although it achieved its maximum recognition already in the first edition, when the prize went to the set of three chapels built by the Japanese architect Tadao Ando. It is worth remembering the specific character of the International Prize —in each edition only the churches built in the previous decade can be submitted— and its peculiar contemporary and universal vocation to promote the Church architecture. The meaningful proposals, besides the rewarded ones, which came from the various Protestant denominations, will be analyzed to contextualize their peculiarities. The results obtained in these years mean to suggest the high average quality of these proposal is within the world architectural discourse.