The Sacred Block: 7 Sanctuaries That Channel the Power of Simplicity

Architecture and faith are intimately intertwined. Countless religious structures have been erected the world over, buildings designed to venerate our deepest values and beliefs. Carefully studied by architects and occupied by the masses, these powerful monuments stand as symbols within their communities and surrounding contexts. Ranging from synagogues and mosques to cathedrals and cemeteries, religious architecture exists across environmental, economic and cultural boundaries. Often towering testaments to power, grace and light, religious spaces are also crafted as intimate, serene moments for mindful reflection. Here, tradition and ritual reign supreme.

Utilizing rectilinear volumes with little or no fenestration, “sacred blocks” are simple, silent sanctuaries advocating inward focus, meditation and contemplation. They are temples to embodied thought and the human condition. Drawing from Phaidon‘s illustrious book,Sacred Spaces, we’ve pulled together sacred blocks sited around the world, a collection exploring faith’s quiet, spiritual qualities.

Embracing the divine, each design pays careful attention to detailing, procession and sensuous spatial experience. Haptic textures and material assemblies combine with unique construction methods to form introspective chapels, burial buildings and prayer pavilions. The projects, while relatively small in scale, establish far-reaching connections across rural and urban landscapes. Together, they begin to poetically express the stillness and tranquility sought along the path to reflection.

Rituals Crematorium by UdeB+ arquitectos, Guarne, Colombia

This crematorium project aimed to rethink perceptions towards cemeteries and burial facilities. A series of points are created along the path to the temple where ceremonies take place within the landscape. Gardens, water channels, ramps and other elements act as public spaces that also help hide the necessary functions of the crematorium.

Prayer and Meditation Pavilion by studio tamassociati, Khartoum, Sudan

Part of the Cardiac Surgery Centre in Sudan, the Prayer and Meditation Pavilion is located in a country with many recent inter-religious and inter-ethnic wars. Designed to host Sudan’s spiritual complexity, the project accommodates meditation and prayer space for all faiths. Two trees are located inside the cubes, while all symbols and elements specific to only one religion are hidden.

Ruta del Peregrino Refugies by Luis Aldrete, Estanzuela, Jalisco, Mexico

Created to house pilgrims, the Ruta del Peregrino Refugies utilizes base modules which can be multiplied to expand the project. Two formal pieces were used to create a lattice along the project’s perimeter. The design plays with light, shadow and modest materials.

Square of Silence: Enlargement of the Gubbio Cemetery by Andrea Dragoni Architect, Gubbio, Italy

Designed to redefine an urban cemetery, this project was created to enlarge the burial site at one of Italy’s most important medieval cities. Linear stereometric blocks were arranged to reflect the context’s rural layouts. A new square was also created to incorporate both spatial rhythm and structure into the project.

Bruder Klaus Field Chapel by Peter Zumthor, Mechernich, Germany

Zumthor’s Bruder Klaus Field Chapel was created by pouring layers of concrete over 112 tree trunks, then burning the wooden frame. A charred, hollowed cavity was formed inside the chapel. The interior was created without buildings systems, devoid of electricity, plumbing, or running water.

De La Piedra Chapel by Nómena, Cieneguilla, Peru

Sited along the foothills of the Andes mountains in a desert context, De La Piedra Chapel requires a long walk to reach its entrance. The hike’s path was derived from a seashell, where a continuous spiral helps create an enclosure around the site. Orthogonal geometry differentiates the various states of the pilgrimage.

Kärsämäki Church by Oopeaa Office for Peripheral Architecture, Kärsämäki, Finland

Kärsämäki Church was designed as a new church using traditional 18th-century building methods. Creating a contemporary sacred space, the architects emphasized materiality as evoked by rough, handcrafted wooden elements. The building is the product of intense study and learning of age-old traditions and techniques.

To see more inspiring places of prayer and worship, check out Phaidon’s book, Sacred Spaces.

Author: Eric Baldwin

Based in New York City, Eric was trained in both architecture and communications. As Director of Communications at Sasaki, he has a background spanning media, academia, and practice. He's deeply committed to trying as many restaurants as possible in NYC.