Axiological Aspects of the Heritage Process of the Church of Christ the Worker and Our Lady of Lourdes at the Atlantida Station, Uruguay

In 2021, UNESCO World Heritage Site status was awarded to the work of engineer Eladio Dieste The Church of Christ the Worker and Our Lady of Lourdes by the engineer at Atlantida Station (Uruguay). The modernist church at Atlantida Station was highly regarded in the international architectural community, but was not well received by both the local community and representatives of the diocese. The aim of the research is to examine the case of the heritageization of the church at Atlantida Station from a values-based approach. The research optics of the work integrates the concept of World Heritage with the idea of linking heritage with the identity of the territory. The analysis is based on the semiotic model of the territory brand, which includes 3 interrelated elements: spectacle (signifier) — the Atlantida cultural landscape, values and socio-economic context; marker — the Church at Atlantida Station and the history of its construction; brand — the process of heritageization and transformation of the Church into a tourist attraction. As a result of the study, the authors concluded that the work of Eladio Dieste was ahead of its time and was perceived by the professional community, but not by the audience for whom it was built, therefore it remained in a neglected state and underwent purposeful destruction. Obtaining the protection status of a UNESCO World Heritage Site was necessary first of all to maintain the Church in the appearance closest to what Eladio Dieste had envisioned.