The Myth of Cicouro

This article is part of the Hidden Architecture Series “Tentative d’Épuisement” , where we explore the practice of an architectural criticism without rhetoric and based mainly on the physical experience of the work itself. Este artículo forma parte de la serie “Tentativa de Agotamiento” , comisariada por Hidden Architecture, donde exploramos la práctica de una crítica arquitectónica ausente de retórica y fundamentada sobre todo en la experiencia física de la propia obra. “The remains of the old, almost completely ruined chapel provided the bases for the planimetric layout. The height was the consequence of the observation of dimensional relationships of some single nave Romanic chapels situated throughout the north of the country. The new building is laid out as a pure volume in which episodes that express the content of the construction occur. In terms of typology, the chapel re-uses some traditional architectural elements with special emphasis on the entrance porch and stairs leading to the belfry. The tear which separates the walls from the roofing on two sides of the building provides light for the interior and frees the walls from their structural function in order to accentuate the remains of the old wall set into the new plastered plane. The inscription set in a granite plaque breaks the monumental symmetry of the entrance, providing another fragment – a testament of the chapel’s history. Granite, wood and white plaster are the finishes used and it was these materials in particular that helped overcome the initial distrust of the “new building”.” “Los restos de la antigua capilla, casi completamente arruinada, proporcionaron las bases para la disposición planimétrica. La altura fue consecuencia de la observación de las relaciones dimensionales de algunas capillas románicas de una sola nave situadas en todo el norte del país.