Modern temple architecture

By mastering new technologies, a person changes the space around him, at the same time modernizing the material attributes of religion - the buildings of churches and temples. Such changes also affect the Orthodox environment, where the question of “modernizing” the church tradition of building churches is increasingly being raised. Catholics, on the contrary, are trying to take control of this process - not so long ago the Vatican officially stated: “Modern Catholic churches resemble museums and are built more with the aim of receiving an award for design than to serve the Lord...”. The works of Western architects are indeed often awarded in various professional competitions and awards; some of them later become widely known and become architectural symbols of cities.

We present to you photographs of modern churches built with elements of modernism and the “style of the future” - high-tech.

Protestant Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, Orange County, California, USA. This is the most famous example of the high-tech style, which involves straight lines in design and glass with metal as the main material. The temple is built from 10,000 rectangular glass blocks held together with silicone glue, and its design, according to the architects, is as reliable as possible.

The church can accommodate up to 2,900 parishioners at a time. The organ located inside the Crystal Cathedral is truly wonderful. Operated from five keyboards, it is one of the largest organs in the world.

Much like the Crystal Cathedral, the Cathedral of Christ the Light is a Catholic church in Oakland, USA. The church is the cathedral of the Diocese of Oakland and the first Christian cathedral in the United States to be built in the 21st century. The temple has been widely discussed in the American press due to the significant construction costs, as well as the surrounding garden, which is dedicated to victims of sexual abuse by clergy.

Interior of the Church of Light from Light.

The Cathedral of Christ the King (English: Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King), more often called simply Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral (English: Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral) is the main Catholic church in Liverpool, Great Britain. The building is a striking example of architecture of the second half of the 20th century. Serves as the see of the Archbishop of Liverpool and also acts as a parish church.

The interior interior with state-of-the-art lighting will amaze both believers and atheists.

The Church of the Holy Cross in Denmark impresses with the geometry of the building in a minimalist style and its location - almost in the middle of a field.

Built in the late 90s, the Catholic church in the city of Evry (France) is called the Cathedral of the Resurrection. Pay attention to the floral decor in the form of green bushes located on the roof of the building.

The Church of the Merciful God the Father in Rome is a major social center of the Italian capital. This futuristic building is specially located in one of the residential areas in order to architecturally “revive” it. Precast reinforced concrete was used as a building material.

Hallgrimskirja is a Lutheran church in Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland. This is the fourth tallest building in the entire country. The church was designed in 1937 by architect Goodjoun Samuelson, and it took 38 years to build. Although the building was created long before the expansion of high-tech into the world of architecture, in our opinion, the general appearance of the temple and its unusual shape make it a very interesting example of modernism. The church is located in the very center of Reykjavik, visible from any part of the city, and its upper part is also used as an observation deck. The temple became one of the capital's main attractions.

A modern cathedral is being built in the center of Strasbourg, France, which still only has a “working” name: Folder. Consisting of a series of pleated arches, the building would look extremely original as a venue for Catholic ceremonies, such as weddings.

The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church of St. Joseph was built in Chicago (USA) in 1956. It is known throughout the world for its 13 golden domes, which symbolize Jesus himself and the 12 apostles.

Church of Santo Volto in Turin (Italy). The design of the new church complex is part of the program of transformations provided for in the 1995 Turin master plan.

St. Mary's Cathedral in San Francisco is a fairly avant-garde building, but local architects call it a "sensible conservative option."

The minimalist Church of Light was built in 1989 and designed by renowned Japanese architect Tadao Ando in a quiet residential area in the suburbs of Osaka, Japan. The interior space of the Church of Light is visually divided by rays of light coming from a cross-shaped hole in one of the walls of the building.

In downtown Los Angeles is the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. The church serves a general archdiocese of more than 5 million Catholics. It is in this temple that the archbishop conducts the main liturgies.

Harissa Church in the Lebanese capital, Beirut. It consists of 2 parts: a bronze statue of the Holy Virgin Mary weighing fifteen tons, located at an altitude of 650 meters above sea level, made in the Byzantine style. There is a small chapel inside the statue.

The second part of the Harissa Church is a futuristic cathedral made of glass and concrete. This complex is a real Christian symbol in a somewhat unusual setting. It is also called the "Banner of Christianity in the Middle East."

The building, unusual in shape, materials and general concept, is the relatively recently built Catholic Church of Santa Monica. The temple is located an hour's drive from Madrid (Spain).

Interior of the Church of Santa Monica.

To conclude our review, there is a completely unconventional Trinity Church in the traditional and conservative capital of Austria - Vienna. The Church of the Holy Trinity (German: Kirche Zur Heiligsten Dreifaltigkeit) in Vienna, better known as the Church of the Holy Trumpets, is located on Mount Sankt Georgenberg. Built in 1974, the Temple belongs to the Roman Catholic Church. Due to the complete inconsistency with traditional church forms, the construction of the building, of course, met significant resistance from local residents.