Religious buildings are spaces designed to separate from the busy outside world and help believers find inner peace. The Gothic cathedral cushioned the chaos of the outside world with noise-blocking stone walls and stained glass that filtered light, turning the interior into an otherworldly space. At the same time, Buddhist temples were specially sited to ensure their separation from the spiritual spaces of the surrounding city squares and streets.
However, what happens when the spot itself is a calm place that promotes spiritual connection, how can architects and designers enhance that tranquility without disrupting the serenity of nature? The following collection includes religious buildings located in the scenic landscape – the process of traveling to the site is already a form of religious refreshment. Some are hidden in the woods, others are hidden on unsheltered plains, but they both use environmental advantages to create real refuges that calm the soul.
Maria Magdalena, Sacher-Los Cerro Architects, Austria
This sculptural structure is made of white concrete and is a private chapel for family activities. The church's rear façade is completely vitrified and offers borderless views of the Magdalensburg Mountains in the distance, as well as the tranquil landscape between the grounds and the mountains.
The space inherits the openness of the landscape while maintaining shelter and intimacy. White concrete and lighting stand out in remote areas, but its neat form and clean finish make it a decoration of the landscape, ensuring that natural beauty is undisturbed.
Jetavana Buddhist Temple by Studio Gaon, Nam-myeon, Chuncheon, South Korea
The Jetavana Buddhist temple is a place where believers practice asceticism, through which they identify their own inner suffering and eliminate it. The temple is completed by brick and concrete structures. Although it has a modern appearance, the overall layout of the site is still in line with the layout of a traditional temple. The interior contains an office, monastic accommodation, and short-term accommodation for believers in ascetic and Buddhist sanctuaries. These functions are consciously interconnected according to their religious significance.
Church of Nacimento of Miguel Pinto Guimarães Aquitetos Aquitos Asisados, Itaipava, Petrópolis, RJ, Brazil
Nascimento Chapel is a private church located in the mountains of Rio de Janeiro. The site's unique topography helped to create an artificial pond that reflected the church. Twenty-five steel frames of different sizes are not solid walls, but twist around the glass church space. These steel frames not only have the effect of sunlight, but also provide a sense of intimacy and privacy, while keeping the space in touch with the surrounding landscape. When viewed from the front, the steel frame forms an illusionary perspective that guides you inside.
Bernardo Bad Achterten's Kapeller Särgenrut, Kölnbach, Austria
Kapelle Salgenreute is a reconstruction of an ancient church on site, which was completed by more than a hundred volunteers. The simple shape of the new church was restored to the shape of the original church. The façade is carefully assembled using small pieces of wood, creating a satisfactory pattern while responding to the natural environment. Inside the church, homogeneous wood finishes calm people down with their timelessness. However, this space is not isolated from the real world. At the end of the white apse is the only window of the church, which constitutes the woods outside. The window became a painting of time that changed with time and weather.
Capilla San Bernardo, Nicolás Campodonico Aquiticto, La Plaosa, Argentina
The Church of St. Bernard is located on the plains of Pampa, backed by a grove of groves with its backyard extending into the grove. The structure reuses bricks from its precedent, a 100-year-old country house that once stood on site. The semicircular opening acts as an entrance for sunlight into the woods.
Two separate poles were mounted at the opening instead of a complete cross. As the sun moves to the front of the opening, the shadows of the poles overlap to form a cross. The process of cross-splitting and reforming of castings becomes an everyday event, creating a subtle transience in this solid structure.
Sayama Forest Chapel by Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP， Tokorozawa， Japan
This chapel belongs to the Koyama Lakeside Cemetery and is open to all religions. Standing behind the cemetery, the chapel almost hid in the forest. The wooden structure is covered with handmade aluminum bricks. The walls slope inward to avoid clashes with branches while meeting at the top, becoming a roof structure. Each pair of walls that tilt toward each other symbolizes the gesture of prayer, creating a building that prays to nature and all life returns to the end.
Joa Chapel of Bernards Aquitulla, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Joá Chapel sits on a triangular system of beams that extend beyond hillside trails to water features. The church space is obscured by glass panels and rectangular wooden frames. At the end of the triangular floor plan is a cross with the sea as the background. The triangular floor plan and sloping ceiling strategically lead the vista towards the cross. The space is visually extended, and the wooden frame emphasizes the viewing angle.