MONTE
MONTE
info
Cesena, Italy
Library expansion inside the Abbey “Santa Maria del Monte”
Intervening within the Abbey of Santa Maria del Monte in Cesena with a library extension project represented much more than a professional commission for our practice.
It was an authentic encounter with history, with culture, with the responsibility of working in a place that has safeguarded the written memory of the region for centuries.
The Abbey, a long-standing spiritual and cultural landmark, preserves an extraordinary heritage: manuscripts, incunabula, and ancient prints dating back as far as the 15th century.
Having direct access to these documents—silent witnesses of distant eras—is an experience that resonates deeply.
The project was born from the desire to welcome and protect this heritage, by creating spaces that were not only functional for preservation, but also conducive to research, study, and contemplation.
The choice of materials was a central point of the design process.
Solid oak, selected as the dominant element, is not only a strong and durable material: its warm tactility, its grain, and its ability to interact with natural light make it particularly suited to a context of introspection and reflection.
Alongside the oak, the adoption of classical and sober forms helped ensure a harmonious integration within the historical structure, avoiding any self-referential gestures.
The goal was to ensure continuity, not to interrupt.
A fundamental aspect of this process was the dialogue with the Abbot of the Abbey.
His deep knowledge of the archive and the sensitivity with which he preserves every detail of monastic life guided many of the project’s choices.
The needs of conserving ancient materials—often fragile and sensitive to light and humidity—led us to study specific solutions for microclimate control and for the direct protection of the volumes, integrating architectural expertise with archival knowledge.
This extension was not conceived as an addition, but as a conscious graft.
A silent, respectful architecture, capable of supporting without overpowering, of amplifying the value of what already exists.
It was not only about building shelves or designing spaces: it was about offering a future to memory.
We are proud to have contributed to this project, which represents a small but significant gesture of care toward our cultural heritage.
In a time when everything accelerates, building places where it is still possible to read, study, and preserve is a necessary act.
