The church in Hodslavice was built in 1813 for one of the three oldest evangelical parish congregations in Moravia. Necessity of reconstruction together with the evolving way of life in the evangelical church generated a project, uniting needs of the congregation with contemporary approaches to preservation of sacral buildings. New shape of the podium in the presbytery, together with the removal of the parson’s bench enable a more versatile use of this space for all ecclesial and cultural activities, now firmly ingrained in the daily life of the congregation. Both the altar table and the cross are removed and replaced by the new Table of the Lord; a stained glass window in the axis of the church is thus revealed. Following the entryway a new utility space for cultural and sacral program is created.
The tectonics of the church is emphasized by purging the space of disruptive interior layers, improper paintings and inadequate material solutions. In their place a new paint is applied, as well as new floor of sandstone and massive pinewood. This creates a calm background on which original details and symbols, carefully restored, can stand out. New lighting solution supports the spatial impression of the nave. Original masonry is revealed where possible. Typography of the verse from the Psalms, written in the first arch of the nave, is cultivated. Heating and draining is newly conducted, following the original solutions.
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Completion Year: 2019
Gross Built Area: 275m2
Project location: Hodslavice, Czechia
Photo credits: BoysPlayNice http://www.boysplaynice.com/
Design Team: Jakub Červenka, Václav Šuba
Clients: The Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren Hodslavice
Collaborators: Doc. Ing. arch. Kamil Mrva, Ph.D.