Paul VI Audience Hall explained

The Paul VI Audience Hall (Italian: Aula Paolo VI), also known as the Hall of the Pontifical Audiences, is a building in Rome named for Pope with a seating capacity of 6,300, designed in reinforced concrete by the Italian architect Pier Luigi Nervi and completed in 1971.^[1] It was constructed on land donated by the Knights of Columbus.^[2]

It lies partially in the Vatican City but mostly in Italy: the Italian part of the building is treated as an extraterritorial area of the Holy See, and is used by the Pope as an alternative to Saint Peter's Square when conducting his Wednesday morning General Audience. It is dominated by an 800-quintal (80-tonne) bronze/copper-alloy^[3] sculpture by Pericle Fazzini entitled (Italian for The Resurrection).^{[4] [5]} A smaller meeting hall, known as Synod Hall (Italian: Aula del Sinodo), is located in the building as well. This hall sits at the east end on a second floor.

Solar roof

On 25 May 2007, it was revealed that the roof of the building was to be covered with 2,400 photovoltaic panels, generating sufficient electricity to supply all the heating, cooling and lighting needs of the building throughout the year.^{[6] [7]} The system was donated by SolarWorld, a German manufacturer, and valued at $1.5 million. It was officially placed into service on 26 November 2008, and was awarded the 2008 European Solar Prize^[8] in the category for "Solar architecture and urban development".^[9]

Further reading

• Book: Bühren . Ralf van . Kunst und Kirche im 20. Jahrhundert: die Rezeption des Zweiten Vatikanischen Konzils . 2008 . Ferdinand Schöningh. 314–317 . 978-3-506-76388-4 . 608580222. German.
• Book: Cossa . Conny . Moderne im Schatten: die Audienzhalle Pier Luigi Nervis im Vatikan . 2010 . Schnell & Steiner . 978-3-7954-2344-5 . 758755347. German. Regensburg.
• Book: Cossa . Conny . Modernismo all'ombra la sala delle udienze pontificie di Pier Luigi Nervi . 2010 . Libreria editrice vaticana . 978-88-209-8446-5 . Italian. Rome. 800610067.

Notes and References

1. . Accessed 12 June 2007.
2. Book: Kauffman, Christopher J.. 1982. Faith and Fraternalism: The History of the Knights of Columbus, 1882–1982. Harper and Row. 978-0-06-014940-6. 409. registration.
3. Gambardella, Carmine & al. "La Resurrezione by Pericle Fazzini in the Aula Paolo VI at the Vatican: The restoration of contemporary art by sacred multi-disciplinary dimensions". Accessed 29 April 2014.
4. "For us every statue is a prayer ". L’Osservatore Romano. 19 September 2012. Accessed 29 April 2014.
5. Associated Press. "Fazzini Dies; Sculptor, 74". Schenectady Gazette, 4 December 1987. Accessed 29 April 2014.
6. [United Press]
7. Catholic News Service. "Going green: Vatican expands mission to saving planet, not just souls ". 25 May 2007. Accessed 12 June 2007.
8. Catholic News Service. "Vatican wins award for creating rooftop solar-power generator". 26 November 2008. Accessed 4 December 2008.
9. EuroSolar. "European Solar Prizes 2008". Accessed 22 December 2009.