San Vigilio, Catholic church building in Ardeatino, Rome, Italy
San Vigilio is a Catholic church on Via Paolo Di Dono in the Ardeatino district, built from 1983 to 1993 to a design by Studio Passarelli. The semicircular hall has a floor sloping toward the sanctuary, where stained-glass windows rise behind the altar. The exterior is a compact concrete volume with a flat roof, six circular windows on the upper facade, and a tall concrete pier bearing a cross.
The parish was erected on 22 May 1968 by Cardinal Vicar Angelo Dell'Acqua, first entrusted to clergy of the Archdiocese of Trento and later to diocesan clergy of Rome. The church, designed by Studio Passarelli, was built from 1983 to 1993 and consecrated on 9 December 1990. Pope John Paul II visited on 7 November 1993, and Pope Francis made it a titular church on 28 November 2020.
The church is named for Saint Vigilius of Trent, its patron. The parish was first entrusted to clergy of the Archdiocese of Trento, linking it to the saint's home region, before passing to the diocesan clergy of Rome. The semicircular hall's sloping floor and the glass panels behind the altar, which open onto tiered outdoor seating, shape how liturgies are held.
San Vigilio stands on Via Paolo Di Dono in the Ardeatino quarter, south of central Rome. The semicircular hall's floor slopes down toward the sanctuary, and glass panels behind the altar open onto an outdoor liturgy area with tiered, amphitheater-style seating. The parish rectory and offices sit above the hall.
Pope Francis made San Vigilio a titular church on 28 November 2020, naming Jose Fuerte Advincula of the Philippines as its first cardinal priest. Advincula, later Archbishop of Manila, remains the cardinal patron. The parish had earlier been served from 1992 to 1997 by Augusto Paolo Lojudice, who became Archbishop of Siena and a cardinal.
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