Padre Pio Pilgrimage Church

The Padre Pio Pilgrimage Church is a church in San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy owned by the Ordine dei Frati Minori Cappuccini di Foggia. Its surface area is 6,000 square meters. Built in devotion to Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, it can accommodate 6,500 people seated at worship, with standing room for 30,000 people outside. The Genoan architect Renzo Piano designed the church. It is located in front of Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, a big Italian hospital and research center, founded by Saint Pio of Pietrelcina.

References

• Amelar, S. (2004–11). Against the profane, the commercial, and the mundane, Renzo Piano strives to create a spiritual pilgrimage site at the Church of Padre Pio. In Architectural Record, 195, 184 – 192.
• Jonathan Glancey, "In the name of the padre: Renzo Piano, co-creator of the Pompidou Centre, has pulled off another masterpiece", The Guardian, 30 September 2002.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Church of St. Pio of Pietrelcina in San Giovanni Rotondo.

Coordinates: 41°42′25.64″N 15°42′10.89″E / 41.7071222°N 15.7030250°E / 41.7071222; 15.7030250