Church of San Giovanni Battista, Mogno, Modern mountain church in Mogno, Switzerland

The Church of San Giovanni Battista is a Mario Botta building of 1992–1996: an oval tower cut at a 45-degree slant and capped by a circular glass roof. Walls alternate layers of sawn white Peccia marble and rough-hewn Beola gneiss from Riveo, producing a light-dark banding. Inside, the rectangular floor plan rises to the round roof, with a white marble altar of two blocks before a stepped arched niche; the sacristy behind it is cut into the slope.

The Baroque village church of 1636 was destroyed with many houses by an avalanche on 25 April 1986. After long planning and debate, the reconstruction committee chose Mario Botta's design; the new church was built between 1992 and 1996, reaching the height of the swept-away bell tower. Two bells from 1746 survived the avalanche.

The church uses local stone from nearby quarries, connecting it to how mountain communities have always built with what they find around them. These materials tie the structure to regional traditions and the landscape where it stands.

The building is designed to withstand the harsh conditions of its high mountain location. Visiting is best done when snow has melted and the access roads to the site are clear and passable.

The two bells hanging in the church date from 1746 and are the only objects recovered from the avalanche of 25 April 1986 that destroyed the previous church. The new building reaches the same height as the old bell tower the avalanche tore away.