christoph buechel art mosque iceland pavilion venice biennale shut down 301246

Authorities in Venice have shut down the working mosque installed by Swiss artist Christoph Büchel in the city center as part of his presentation for the Icelandic Pavilion at the 2015 Venice Biennale. The closure followed an evaluation by a public safety committee, citing overcrowding at Friday prayers that exceeded the legal limit of 90 people, as well as concerns about the building's location near a pedestrian bridge and the difficulty of providing security amid terrorist threats. The mosque, housed in the former Catholic church of Santa Maria dell’Abbazia della Misericordia, had been open for barely two weeks before the City Council of Venice withdrew authorization.