Tempio Ossario, Catholic memorial temple in Bassano del Grappa, Italy
The Tempio Ossario is a Catholic memorial temple in Bassano del Grappa featuring a Latin cross layout with three naves extending 75 meters and crowned by an octagonal dome rising 43 meters high. The interior is organized as a military burial chamber with burial niches lining the walls.
Construction began in 1908 as a planned cathedral but was interrupted by World War I, leading to a complete redesign as a military memorial. The building was finished in 1934 and repurposed entirely as a place to honor those who fell in the war.
The temple serves as a memorial space where visitors can see the names of soldiers inscribed on the walls, creating a reflective place dedicated to honoring those who died. The alphabetical organization of the burials gives structure and dignity to the memorial.
The temple welcomes visitors throughout the year in a quiet setting suitable for reflection and remembrance. Each evening at 7:30 PM, forty bell rings sound to honor those who fell in the war.
The building holds more than 4,400 burials in wall niches and over 1,000 in the crypt, with each soldier catalogued alphabetically and individually identified. This systematic arrangement is unusual for a war memorial and creates a remarkable archive of remembrance.
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