The Paul VI Audience Hall ( it, Aula Paolo VI) also known as the Hall of the Pontifical Audiences is a building in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

named for

Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

with a

seating capacity Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available, and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile tha ...

of 6,300, designed in

reinforced concrete Reinforced concrete (RC), also called reinforced cement concrete (RCC) and ferroconcrete, is a composite material in which concrete's relatively low ultimate tensile strength, tensile strength and ductility are compensated for by the inclusion ...

by the Italian

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

Pier Luigi Nervi and completed in 1971. It was constructed on land donated by the Knights of Columbus. It lies partially in the

Vatican City Vatican City (), officially the Vatican City State ( it, Stato della Città del Vaticano; la, Status Civitatis Vaticanae),—' * german: Vatikanstadt, cf. '—' (in Austria: ') * pl, Miasto Watykańskie, cf. '—' * pt, Cidade do Vati ...

but mostly in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

: the Italian part of the building is treated as an extraterritorial area of the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...

, and is used by the

as an alternative to

Saint Peter's Square Saint Peter's Square ( la, Forum Sancti Petri, it, Piazza San Pietro ,) is a large plaza located directly in front of St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City, the papal enclave inside Rome, directly west of the neighborhood ( rione) of Borgo. ...

when conducting his Wednesday morning General Audience. It is dominated by an 800- quintal (80-tonne)

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids suc ...

copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pink ...

-alloy sculpture by

Pericle Fazzini Pericle Fazzini (4 May 1913 – 4 December 1987) was an Italian painter and sculptor. His large work, ''La Resurrezione,'' is installed in the Aula Paolo VI in the Vatican City in Rome. Life Fazzini was born on 4 May 1913 at Grottammare, ...

entitled ( Italian for '' The Resurrection''). A smaller meeting hall, known as Synod Hall ('), is located in the building as well. This hall sits at the east end on a second floor.

Solar roof

On 25 May 2007, it was revealed that the roof of the building was to be covered with 2,400

photovoltaic panels Photovoltaics (PV) is the conversion of light into electricity using semiconducting materials that exhibit the photovoltaic effect, a phenomenon studied in physics, photochemistry, and electrochemistry. The photovoltaic effect is commercially us ...

, generating sufficient

electricity Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as describe ...

to supply all the heating, cooling and lighting needs of the building throughout the year. The system was donated by SolarWorld, a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

manufacturer, and valued at $1.5 million. It was officially placed into service on 26 November 2008, and was awarded the 2008 European Solar PrizeCatholic News Service.
Vatican wins award for creating rooftop solar-power generator
. 26 November 2008. Accessed 4 December 2008. in the category for "Solar architecture and urban development".EuroSolar.
European Solar Prizes 2008
. Accessed 22 December 2009.

Gallery

File:Aula Paolo VI-rooftop.jpg, The roof of the audience hall in 2008 File:Aula Paolo VI (Aula Nervi) (14852018596).jpg, The right side of the audience hall in 2014 File:Aula Paolo VI (Aula Nervi) (14688351450).jpg,

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013 ...

on the stage of the audience hall in 2014 File:Salle Paul VI.jpg, The left side of the audience hall in 2010 File:梵蒂岡聖彼得大教堂7.jpg, The distinctive oval windows of the exterior of the audience hall in 2006

Solar roof

Gallery

References

Further reading