If I had to build a church, what would it look like? What design would it have?
I never thought about it.
I knew a young woman, then younger than I am now. She and her husband (very rich people), each living their own lives, even if married, were building a church at the time. She invented the design, and he, as the owner of a construction company, was building it.
From what I knew about their lives, building a church was like atonement for their lives and sins. But what better redemption there is today than to build a church? It sounds and looks and feels very noble, very pleasing to God, very religious. And even the mention of these people feels like a sin against them, these repentant, God-pleasing and religious people.
Yet, by this logic and this line of thought, it turns out that God can forgive the sins of rich people only, because only they have the means to build a church.
But in fact, I never saw this church. The young woman had shown me the palace in which they lived, the extremely expensive, baroque furnishings of the house, the expensive paintings specially commissioned by a particular artist, not to mention the carpets and furniture, also a special and luxurious order. In the years I knew her, this church never got ready.
For it, somehow, the funds and time were never enough.
And she never took me to show me the place and the design, albeit unfinished.
So, if I could, wanted or had to build a church, what would it be?
I don't know. I have never and would not want to think about it. Mostly because I don't like new and modern church buildings.
Some time ago, in fact, in my first post in this community, I showed you a unique (for me) religious building. A chapel built on a hill within a fortress wall. As I told you then, due to the lack of information about this building, I never understood what this design was - whether it was an restoration of an old building in the same place, or just a completely new and modern solution of the modern architect.
But then I showed you this building, because it is one of the few modern performances that amazed me with its exterior and interior. In fact, its design, materials and execution were too modern to be ancient design.
But what I like are the stones and the stone buildings. That is why I adore ancient stone buildings, churches, chapels and hermitages.
No concrete and cement.
Because it seems that in the stones, in their soul (laugh, if you will), lies the key to that mystical spirit, which sometimes you can even feel in some "religious" buildings.
And if I think a little deeper on this, I may come to some deeper insight. Such as this - St. Peter is a symbol, guardian and patriarch of the churches. And his name literally means "stone".
But somehow I do not want to interfere with religion and the Christian apostles in my post. Because I don't think that mysticism in "religious" architecture comes from religion at all.
To illustrate my post, I used the photos of a mountain chapel under construction, which I saw by chance during one of my trips to Southern Bulgaria.
Copyright: @soulsdetour
 | Soul's Detour is a project started by me years ago when I had a blog about historical and not so popular tourist destinations in Eastern Belgium, West Germany and Luxembourg. Nowadays, this blog no longer exists, but I'm still here - passionate about architecture, art and mysteries and eager to share my discoveries and point of view with you. |