Edicola Sacre (Sacred Shrines)

This ongoing project counts so far eight sacred wooden cases that rework the “edicola sacra”, a typical architectural element very common in Rome and in Christian-Latin cultures in general. The term derives from the Latin aedicula, diminutive of aedes (“temple”or “shrine”), hence a miniature temple, which housed a statue or the depiction of a deity. These sacred niches, also called “Madonnelle”, are an expression of popular faith and are realized after some miraculous event, a foiled calamity, a ceased epidemic, a sudden recovery. These luminous sanctuaries are generally found at streets intersections where there was no public lighting.

In my version, the sacred shrines contain different industrial products combined with Russian and Byzantine icons, with typical representations such as the Christ Pantocrator, the Madonna with Child, the “all-seeing eye of God” aka “the eye of Providence”. Multicolored LED strips illuminate the cases form inside, provoking different emotional states and recalling oriental folklore and the low-cost products of globalization sold via online platforms.

Read more here https://tommasofagioli.com/projects/sacred-shrines/