A church complex for worship, education and community
Designed by architects Francesco Lipari, Lillo Giglia and Giuseppe Conti, the new parish complex of Santa Barbara in Licata, Italywas selected through an invited two-stage competition promoted by the Archdiocese of Agrigento and the Parish of Santa Barbara, with funding from the Italian Episcopal Conference through the “8xmille” program. Designed as a contemporary ‘faith campus’, the complex combines spaces for worship, education and community activities within a permeable architectural composition that engages with the local urban and cultural context.
The project was developed through a collaborative process involving the parish community, the Archdiocese of Agrigento, the Diocesan Office for Ecclesiastical Cultural Heritage and Religious Buildings and the Italian Episcopal Conference. Rather than taking a conventional top-down approach, the design evolved through consultation, allowing the community to help define the pastoral, liturgical and operational requirements of the new complex. Following the preparation of the Preliminary Document, a two-stage invited competition was launched in 2016. Fifteen design teams were invited, nine proposals were submitted and three finalists were selected before the proposal by Francesco Lipari, Lillo Giglia and Giuseppe Conti was chosen.
Located in the expanding Oltreponte district on the western edge of Licata, the complex occupies a site formerly used informally as an unpaved parking lot. The project transforms this vacant lot into an urban and religious destination, providing the neighborhood with spaces for worship, education and community life. Rather than operating as an isolated church building, the development is organized as an integrated campus that encompasses churchchurchyard, daily chapel, pastoral facilities, catechism rooms and rectory. Together, these elements create a public and spiritual center that reinforces the identity of the surrounding residential district. A key element of the project is the churchyard, which is designed as a public square that mediates between the city and the liturgical spaces. Acting as both a threshold and a gathering place, it connects the parish with the surrounding neighborhood while reinforcing the urban role of the complex.
the church as a new urban and spiritual landmark in the Oltreponte neighborhood | all images from Francesco Caristia
Reinterpreting Sacred Architecture through form and light
The architectural concept, jointly developed by Francesco Lipari, Lillo Gigliaand Giuseppe Contiinterprets the church as a “house among houses”, combining accessibility with a clear urban presence. The liturgical hall is organized around a Greek cruciform design derived from the archetype of the primitive “hut” dwelling. This geometry is transformed into an organic volume defined by curved walls, continuous surfaces and a flowing ceiling that expresses movement and collective gathering. The spatial organization follows the liturgical sequence described in the pastoral instructions of the Italian Episcopal Conference, clearly articulating the altar, the ambo, the presidential seat, the cistern and the Eucharistic reservation. Concave and curved walls guide traffic and gradually lead visitors from the entrance to the central functional space. Rather than reproducing historical forms, the design reinterprets Mediterranean and Sicilian architectural traditions through contemporary spatial and formal language. The sequence from the churchyard to the entrance and finally to the worship hall establishes a gradual transition from the public realm to the sacred interior.
Two architectural elements define the identity of the complex: a cylindrical bell tower that serves as a landmark while referring to Saint Barbara through its vertical openings and a large golden recessed entrance arch designed as a symbolic “Heaven’s Gate”. The light textured facade changes during the day as natural light interacts with its surface, while square openings bring daylight into the interior, where light becomes an integral architectural and symbolic element. The square openings, varying in size, introduce a theme of solids and voids, light and shadow, which is continued within the function room. This device contributes to the creation of an intimate and spiritual atmosphere, in which natural light becomes an architectural material and an instrument of symbolic orientation. The fluidity of the architectural envelope finds in the light colored stone functional focal points a principle of order and permanence. Natural light enhances their presence, while artworks introduce a figurative dimension able to make visible the famous mystery.
main facade and courtyard of the church, where the golden arch marks the passage from the public space to the sacred space
A hybrid structure supports worship and community activities
In addition to the central church, the complex houses classrooms, pastoral offices, a parish hall and a weekday chapel. Located to the north-east of the site, these facilities support education, meetings and day-to-day parish activities while completing the overall composition. The weekday chapel offers a more intimate setting for daily services and personal prayer, complementing the larger function hall while maintaining the project’s restrained material palette and emphasis on natural light.
The construction system can be described as hybrid, based on the integration of concrete structures and large wooden roof elements. The masonry provides mass, continuity and plasticity to the curved walls and vertical elements, while the glulam beams allow the function room to be covered with a light system, suitable for following the dynamic development of the interior space. The suspended ceiling of the function hall and weekday chapel is made with a slatted panel system, which makes it possible to reproduce the curvature of the ceiling and give the interior a continuous, warm and lively surface. In particular, the use of hinged battens allows the notched development of the roof to be followed at a regular rate, turning the geometric complexity into an easily legible and buildable construction system. This solution performs several functions at the same time: it defines the interior image of the hall, improves the acoustic and light perception of the space, disguises and integrates the technical elements and contributes to the creation of an intimate atmosphere. The wooden false ceiling thus becomes a spatial arrangement able to accompany the upward trend of the hall and reinforce the route to the presbytery.
the church precinct functions as an open urban square, connecting the parish complex to the city
