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You love the church, because this is the place you can experience the creator. Upon entering a church building, you feel that you are in the centre of the world- once said Mario Botta - the Swiss architect. At the International Exhibition of Church Construction, Church Fittings and Furnishings and Religious SACROEXPO the artist will personally present his designs and projects. The architect is this year's laureate of the Per Artem ad Deum Medal.

Mario Botta is one of the biggest names in world architecture. Botta is the representative of the neo-modernist regionalism, one of the Tessin architects known as the "four musketeers". He is co-founder of the European architecture phenomenon of the late twentieth century, called "the Tessin flow". Mario Botta started his architectural adventure when only 16 years old; then he developed the Genestrerio presbytery project. A few years later he designed the most beautiful church buildings whose form and dimensions have become exemplary owing to the fact that they offer incredibly personal space for church-goers. His buildings, at the times when church architecture often becomes a display of technical capabilities, are the sanctuaries of silence, recollection and prayer. His work serve as the proof that the church building is the heart of the city, regardless the religion; adds the artist. Among the examples of Mario Botta's works there are: John the Baptist Church in Mogno, Cathedral of the Resurrection in Evry, Church of Santo Volto in Turin, the Chapel of Monte Tamaro and the Church of the Blessed Odoric in Pordenone. Stability and a patient quest are the characteristic feature of Botta's architecture; he pursuit excellence because - as he says, each consecutive work is the most important one.Mario Botta has been presented with numerous awards and distinctions, including, Beton 85 Award, CICA, Massimo, International Award Architecture or the European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage Europa Nostra. He is also the laureate of this year's Per Artem ad Deum Medal; the Medal awarding ceremony will be held during the Targi Kielce's SACROEXPO.