7 most unusual churches

While old churches are being converted into hotels and residences, architects are building new ones. AD chose seven of the most interesting "cult" projects.

(Total 10 photos)

Source: admagazine

1. Apartment in Utrecht, the Netherlands. Zecc Architecten, 2007

Two Dutch businessmen decided that the holy place should not be empty, and they bought the abandoned chapel from the city along with all the contents. Now their large duplex apartment has an organ and stained-glass windows, and they dine on massive 19th-century oak benches. True, an additional room had to be added to the side - the architects did not dare to place the bathroom on consecrated ground.

2. Church of the Heart of Christ, Munich. Architectural Bureau Allmann, Sattler & Wappner, 2000

3. On the site of the Church of the Heart of Christ that burned down in 1994, local authorities decided to build a real symbol of faith. During the day, the outer glass box that covers the building reflects the sun's rays, and at night it glows from the inside, attracting parishioners.

On the main facade is written the Greek text of the Gospel of Matthew, which tells about the Passion of Christ. The letters are made up of nails painted on glass.

4. Chapel Valleacerón, Ciudad Real, Spain. Architectural bureau sancho-madridejos, 2001

The private chapel in the Valleacerón residence does not betray its cult purpose. Its creators, Sol Madridejos and Juan Carlos Sancho, believe that the rays of the sun, penetrating the numerous holes in the concrete structure, are in themselves a sufficient sign of the greatness of the Lord. Therefore, additional characters are not needed.

5. Library in St. Mary's Church, Müncheberg, Germany. Architectural bureau Klaus Block Architekt, 2000

In 1945, the Church of St. Mary in Müncheberg was hit by two American bombs, and it stood in ruins until the mid-1990s, when it was decided to turn it into a library and cultural center. The structures were reinforced with steel beams, but the architects did not interfere with the structure of the Romanesque cathedral. They simply built wooden bookcases inside and a large glass cube in which to hold public lectures.

6. Chapel of the Coronation of the Virgin Mary, Rotterdam. Architectural bureau Mecanoo architecten, 2000

This is the third chapel in the Catholic cemetery of St. Lawrence in the center of Rotterdam. The first two, built in 1869 and 1963, collapsed due to ground instability. Therefore, the architects were faced with the task of facilitating the construction as much as possible. They built walls and roofs from thin copper sheets. In addition, the copper ceiling illuminated from below shines like golden backgrounds on icons.

7. Hotel Husa in a Benedictine monastery, Calatayud, Spain. Architect Gonzalo Urbizu, 2003

For the cathedral of the Benedictine monastery in Calatayud, the current restructuring is far from the first. First, a tiny proto-Romanesque church of the 8th century stood in its place, then a Moorish-style temple, and, finally, a late Gothic cathedral, which over time was overgrown with baroque decor. Now he got rid of all the layers, returned to a simple three-nave.

8. Museum in Firminy, France. Project Le Corbusier, 2006

9. The main urban project of Le Corbusier in 1954-1965, Firminy-Vert was conceived as a city of the future with an ideal temple in the center. But already at the time of the laying in 1970, the local archbishop disowned St. Peter's Church, saying that the building in its current form is in no way suitable for the needs of the Catholic Church.

10. So construction resumed only in 2003, when the building came up with a new purpose - it became a branch of the museum of modern art in the neighboring city of Saint-Etienne.