Fire Destroys Remains of Giuliano Mauri's Vegetal Cathedral in Lodi

A fire destroyed the remains of Giuliano Mauri's Vegetal Cathedral in Lodi on September 7, 2021. The environmental installation, built posthumously in 2016 on the left bank of the Adda River, had already been dismantled in 2019 due to structural failures. After its demolition, the wooden trunks and branches were stored in two fenced enclosures; one caught fire at dawn, likely arson. Firefighters worked over two hours to extinguish the blaze, but only a few fire-damaged logs remained. The cathedral was conceived in the 1980s, with the first built in 2001 at Arte Sella in Trento, a second in 2010 in Bergamo's Parco delle Orobie, and the third in Lodi, the artist's hometown. The Lodi structure covered 1,618 sqm, with 108 wooden columns (1.20 m diameter each), 18 m high, 72 m long, and 22.48 m wide, forming five naves. The project was coordinated by Mauri's children, curated by his niece Francesca Regorda, and promoted by Andrea Cancellato, former mayor of Lodi and ex-director of Triennale di Milano. After the 2019 demolition, there were plans to revive the cathedral, supported by Mauri's heirs and Cancellato with private funding. The fire has made that prospect more urgent.