A NEW CHURCH FOR ST. FRANCIS

The Patron Saint of Italy was an exceptional man, who became a "saint" exactly because of his many qualities. Let's say he was closer to Epimetheus than to Prometheus. Prometheus loved the humans and stole the fire from the gods and gave it to the humans. As a retribution Zeus sent a vultur to eat up Prometheus' liver, as he was chained to a rock. In Greek Prometheus means the one who first thinks and then he acts. In opposition to him Epimetheus means the one who first acts and then he thinks. He also loved animals, plants and stones and revered the gods... St. Francis loved and talked to the birds. He received the stigmata. He loved poverty, not the riches most people obsess abour. The famous three knots of his attire symbolized Poverty, Chastity and Obedience. How would a New Church for St. Francis look like ? What if it would be The Church of the Three Knots ? St. Francis was fascinating, perhaps the first Eco-Saint, since he was indeed on the side of the "environment", his refusal to glorify human existence in terms of what the humans did with the fire given to them by Prometheus. INNOCENCE. Could we imagine an INNOCENT CHURCH ? THE CHURCH OF THE ETERNAL NEW BEGINNINGS ? Certainly not an Anthropic Church. We invite you to choose any place on this earth where you would imagine the New Church for St. Francis would sit naturally, in such a way that landscape and architecture would blend into each other, with ease. A poor church ? Yes, a poor church. How else should be The House of Spirit ? A modest church ? Yes, a modest church. How else should man be vis-a-vis God ? The House of Stigmata ? Yes, The House of Stigmata! Please send us your work, digitally, to info@icarch.us by October 3rd, 2026, when there will be 800 years since St. Francis died. Please use two sheets format A1, oriented vertically, to formulate your proposal. Please register through our website by September 15th. If you have any question, please contact us. We will publish all the works received and we plan a travelling exhibition... and who knows ? Maybe the best proposal for a New Church for this very inspired and inspiring human who two years after his death (but he didn't die) was cannonized, would be built... but first we have to make a proposal, with the same ardour that animated St. Francis. Talk to the birds, dear architect, do talk to the birds! Thank you, I C A R C H www.icarch.us