Sta Come Torre. The National Monument to the Italian Sailor and the Construction of the Ritual of Memory During the Fascist Era
The National Monument to the Italian Sailor in Brindisi is a majestic monument that stands on the Adriatic coast, in memory of the Italian sailors who dedicated their lives to the service of the homeland. This monument is a tangible symbol of gratitude and recognition for the brave sailors who defen...
Saved in:
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
University of Bologna
2024-12-01
|
| Series: | Histories of Postwar Architecture |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://hpa.unibo.it/article/view/19085 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| Summary: | The National Monument to the Italian Sailor in Brindisi is a majestic monument that stands on the Adriatic coast, in memory of the Italian sailors who dedicated their lives to the service of the homeland. This monument is a tangible symbol of gratitude and recognition for the brave sailors who defended Italy and its waters. It is also a “necessary architecture” like all those architectural and monumental complexes designed and built by the fascist regime to receive and commemorate the remains of soldiers who died in war, with particular emphasis on those who fell in the First World War, and aimed at celebrating their cult with mass ceremonies aimed at exalting heroism, sacrifice, death in battle, and the sacred nature of victory over the enemy, through an elaborate symbolic and iconographic apparatus and the use of spaces, not only architectural, but also of the natural and “historic” landscape. The decision to build a national monument in Brindisi in honor of the approximately 6,000 sailors who died during the 1915-18 War was due to the important role played by the city in the conflict, which had earned it the War Cross. A national competition was announced for the monument, open to architects and sculptors, and 92 designs were submitted, which would later be presented in a special exhibition held in Rome. The winning project was the design of a large rudder with a chapel-mausoleum presented by architect Luigi Brunati and sculptor Amerigo Bartoli, with an estimated cost of 1,200,00 lire. The construction work lasted only one year, from October 28, 1932 to October 1933. The inauguration took place on November 4, 1933 in the presence of King Vittorio Emanuele II. More than the monument itself, it is the construction of the ritual of memory associated with the monument that has had a profound significance for the local community and the country. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 2611-0075 |