Il valore sociale per il restauro delle architetture liturgiche del Secondo Novecento: la Chiesa della Beata Maria Vergine a Larderello di Giovanni Michelucci e S. Maria della Libera di Aldo Loris Rossi / Social Value for Conservation Late 21th Century Liturgical Architecture: Giovanni Michelucci’s Church of the Beata Vergine Maria in Larderello and Aldo Loris Rossi’s Church of Santa Maria della Libera

Abstract

Restoration of reinforced concrete churches constitutes a central challenge for the 21th  century architectural conservation, especially when dealing with works by renowned authors of the post-war period. These liturgical architectures not only reflect structural and formal experimentation but also embody significant social and spiritual dimensions. The sensitivity required in their restoration is largely shaped by the liturgical community’s perception of their cultural and architectural value. This paper examines two case studies to highlight the decisive role of community reception: the Church of Santa Maria della Libera e del Santissimo Redentore in Portici (Naples) by Aldo Loris Rossi, and the Church of the Beata Vergine Maria in Larderello (Pisa) by Giovanni Michelucci. In the former, community hostility has led to substantial transformations that altered the original design intent, while in the latter, recognition of the architectural and authorial value has fostered preservation-oriented approaches. Through this comparison, the study argues that the long-term sustainability of restoration strategies for twentieth-century reinforced concrete churches depends on balancing architectural authorship with community acceptance, thereby ensuring both cultural continuity and liturgical relevance.