Revitalization of the Parish of La Asunción. Intervention in destroyed heritage religious architecture in the "post zona cero"

Abstract

This article is based on the results of the project thesis “Rehabilitation of the Parish of the Assumption: Intervention of Destroyed Patrimonial Religious Architecture in the ‘post ground zero’”. The project explores how to intervene in patrimonial religious architecture in destruction contexts. These reflections focused on the Parish of the Assumption, which was set on fire in an act of vandalism a year after the social outbreak in Chile in 2019. In response, a rehabilitation project is proposed to transform it into an urban parish center that embraces contemporaneity, revitalizing the space and ensuring its future. 

The article delves into two key aspects for generating a coherent and effective intervention. First, it explores the context of the case, specifically the "social explosion" and its "ground zero" in Santiago de Chile. Second, it examines the tension between patrimonial and contemporary religious architecture.