Restoration of the Chiesa San Pellegrino and new Plasters Warehouse in Lucca

The history of the ancient church

In the historic center of Lucca, overlooking the ancient Via San Pellegrino, now Via Galli Tassi and the access route to the city of the Via Francigena, the religious building was in an advanced state of decay when MICROSCAPE architecture urban design was commissioned to restore it. It is believed that the church was built near the ancient San Giorgio gate, the entrance to the ancient Roman fortification walls. In the mid-1600s, it was expanded with a large vaulted hall and became the place of worship for the wealthy families of the neighborhood. In 1808, it was closed for worship and became first an organ workshop and more recently a warehouse

Restoration: light as material

Through the restoration work on the exteriors, roofs, and interiors, as well as the reopening of an ancient door connecting the church to adjacent spaces, the building has been brought back to its former glory with utmost respect for the structure. Architects use light, both natural and artificial, as a material to define the space. The only architectural elements that have been added are powder-coated steel slabs that frame the connecting door to the adjacent spaces, the missing steps of the presbytery, the redesign of the areas where the original altars of San Rocco and the Nativity were located and have been empty for a long time, and finally, the entrance vestibule area

Arrangement of the Plaster Deposit

The religious building is being restored on commission from the Parish of Saints Michele, Paolino, and Alessandro to house the collection of plaster casts from the Tuscan Museum Pole, consisting of 230 pieces dating from the mid-19th century to the mid-20th century. Given the large quantity of plaster casts, the arrangement is composed of two systems, shelves made of innocent pipes and platforms/pallets made of wooden planks, which allow for the creation of diverse spatialities suitable for the different sculptural elements

A space to celebrate historical stratification and the universality of art

Ever-changing visual glimpses with the variation of light become the space of contemporary engagement that inhabits the church hall, between the materiality of architectural finishes and the linearity of forms. The ancient white marble and bardiglio floor has been cleaned, preserving its wear and tear as a testament to the stratification of uses of this space. The new glass door of the entrance compass allows for a relationship between the interior and the urban space. Upon entering, the first element encountered is a panel/frontispiece bearing graffiti in different languages as a metaphor for the universality of art