In the cemetery of Cosenza, in the historical part on the Mussano hill, in the avenue punctuated by rows of centuries-old cypress trees, the studio of the architect Domenico De Rito has designed two family funeral shrines (De Rito/Esposito), creating an original and singular work with a sober and elegant style, a monolith of travertine stone with entrances on opposite sides and on different heights for the morphology of the soil.
It is a parallelepiped with a reinforced concrete structure. On one side, four flower beds in travertine stone divide the municipal staircase from the funeral shrine; in the back of the lower part of the funeral shrine an indoor space has been created for storage, for the management and care of the greenery and the grave sanctuaries.
Only the materials (three) can tell the whole work: travertine, glass and steel, capable of transmitting a monochromatic effect between inside and outside.
White travertine, whose characteristics make it a unique material, covers the entire volume; the large windows and the access doors, tilting at full height, create a visual continuity; the steel designed in all its finishes acted as the glue between the stone material and the transparency of the crystals.
Travertine
Stone material worked wire saw and laid without joints had covered externally and internally the entirety of the funeral shrine, in different sizes.
The surnames, De Rito and Esposito (my grandfather) next to the entrance, have been carved into the stone, dynamic in the magical game that only natural light can create during the day; internally, the slabs, some unfortunately engraved with the name (my father) and dates, also in wire saw stone, respect the monochromatic design will; the flooring, again in travertine, was treated with a filling resin, with a satin finish, for hygiene reasons.
Glass
The windows are large and in tempered glass, and the two access doors are tilting to full height.
Steel
The balustrade, the handles and the plate holders are in brushed steel.
All the elements were designed by the De Rito studio and masterfully curated up to the realization.
Considerations
Architect De Rito states: “we felt the need to let natural light enter, we designed large openings to create an ethereal, invasive and forever light. And I will always be grateful to the wise advice of my father who I always find by my side every day.”