The hall has a
seating capacity of 6,300, designed in
reinforced concrete by the Italian architect
Pier Luigi Nervi and completed in 1971. It was constructed on land donated by the
Knights of Columbus and is named for
Pope St. Paul VI. It lies partially in the
Vatican City but mostly in
Rome; the Italian part of the building is treated as an
extraterritorial area of the
Holy See, and is used by the
pope as an alternative to
St. Peter's Square when conducting his Wednesday morning
General Audience. It is dominated by an 800-
quintal (80-tonne)
bronze/
copper-alloysculpture by
Pericle Fazzini entitled The Resurrection (Fazzini)| (
The Resurrection). The New Synod Hall ('''') is located on the first floor above the vestibule of the Paul VI Audience Hall. On 25 May 2007, it was revealed that the roof of the building was to be covered with 2,400
photovoltaic panels, generating sufficient electricity to supply all the heating, cooling, and lighting needs of the building throughout the year. The system was donated by
SolarWorld, a German manufacturer, and valued at
$1.5 million. It was officially placed into service on 26 November 2008, and was awarded the 2008
European Solar Prize in the category for "Solar architecture and urban development". ==See also==