Entretien Cafe GattoPardo

- What is the history of this church? Who used to go there? What did it stop being a sacred place?The church was built in the early 1900s on the remains of a church, that was built in 1600. Until 1975 it was the parish church of the area: in this period, the believers had increased and it were needed larger spaces. So, it was necessary to build a larger church. For this the old church was deconsecrated and it sold to a private company. With the proceeds of the sale was built a new church.

- Can you tell us more about the story of the night-club? When was it created? How? What type of difficulties did you encounter? The church was deconsecrated in 1975 and it used as a fashion showroom. The original features and details of the sacred were kept intact until 2000. In 2000, thanks to the innovative ideas of Mr Giuseppe Scalise, who manages the location today, it was turned into a nightclub. The conservative restauration works of the church has been carried out in a year without altering the original features of the location. The difficulties were of an architectural nature in order to not conflict with the original features: it was built a gallery, with architectural features in keeping with its original appearance. Another difficulty was administrative - bureaucratic: it was not easy to explain to the public administration and politicians about the conversion of a building cult in the location of public entertainment.

- Why did you choose a church to create this nightclub instead of another place? The characteristics of the location have attracted the attention of Mr. Scalise: with respect for people believers, it was covered religious furniture (like the altar) and the location was transformed as much as possible in a salon of the dances, referring to the ballroom of the film Il Gattopardo, from which the location takes its name.

- What did you do with the religious furniture (the crosses, confessionals, the altar..)? They were covered: for example the original altar exists but has been covered by the bar.

- How much money did you spend for the reconversion? Around € 1,5 Million

- Were there some people opposed to this reconversion? If yes, for what reason? Was there a boycott at the beginning or it was more “the it place”? The owner tried to keep hidden the renovation until the last moment in order to avoid boycotts

- Have you encountered some juridical problems before the reorganization? Il Gattopardo was the first night club in Italy that operates inside a church: they were been pioneers also in terms of case law

- How did you do with the mayor of the city (city hall)?/owner of this building ? Before beginning your project? The major of the city had done nothing: he wasn’t the owner

- What type of difficulties (different from architectural/technical) did you have before the reconversion? I have already answered before

- What do you think about the desacralization of a religious place? (ex : drink alcohol in a church) The owner tries to manage the location in accordance with the beliefs, without organizing events that may hurt their feelings, how to create events with porn or blasphemous images. We think that the great success of the Gattopardo is also due to the elegance in its management.

- In a catholic country, what were the reactions to this reorganization/ restoration? I have already answered before

Lors de notre escapade à Milan, nous avons eu l’occasion de visiter l’une des églises réhabilitées qui avait été photographiée par Andréa Di Martino. Toutefois nous n’avons pas pu nous entretenir directement avec le propriétaire. C’est à la suite de courriers électroniques qu’il nous a expliqué les raisons de cette reconversion.

Cette église a été construite au début des années 1900 sur les ruines d’une ancienne église du XVIIe siècle. Jusqu’en 1975, cette église fut la plus fréquentée du quartier. Cependant, le nombre de croyants ne faisant qu’augmenter, il a été nécessaire de construire une église plus grande capable de réunir les paroissiens. C’est pourquoi cette église a été désacralisée et vendue à une compagnie privée. Les bénéfices de cette vente on alors permis de construire la nouvelle église.

Dans un premier temps, après sa désacralisation, l’église était utilisée la plupart du temps comme showroom de mode. Jusqu’en 2000, les caractéristiques et les détails du sacré ont été respectés. Puis, suite aux idées novatrices de Monsieur Giuseppe Scalise, le propriétaire actuel de l’église, ce lieu fut transformé en boite de nuit. Des travaux de restauration de l’édifice ont été entrepris tout en respectant le caractère original du lieu. Pour cela, ils ont du faire face à de nombreuses difficultés en terme d’architecture mais également concernant la bureaucratie administrative.

Le bar à la place de l’orgue

C’est le caractère original de ce lieu qui a éveillé la curiosité de Monsieur Giuseppe Scalise. Il a souhaité garder l’authenticité du lieu tout en le créant un endroit atypique. L’église a été ré agencée en un salon où l’on dance, en référence au gala dans le film « Il Gattopardo » dont le lieu tient son nom. La rénovation du lieu a coûté environ 1,5 million d’euros et s’est effectuée en grande partie en cachette de manière à éviter les contestations de la population et les différentes polémiques. Aujourd’hui, le propriétaire insiste sur le certain standing de son établissement et détourne la question lorsqu’on lui demande ce qu’il pense de boire de l’alcool dans un lieu anciennement sacré ? Il répond qu’il a une clientèle élégante et qu’il ne se permettrait jamais d’organiser des évènements blasphèmes dans son établissement.