Exploring the power of sacred architecture in ‘The Story of God with Morgan Freeman’ I am standing under one of the massive bell towers of Chartres Cathedral, an hour outside Paris, steps away from the magnificently carved doorway leading to a blessed world inside. I am trembling and not just because of the cold air […]

The commission from the Archbishopric of Tarragona, Spain for the design and construction of the new Santa Maria Assunta Church and Parish Center required a broad program that included a worship space, a parish center, and a priests’ residence. The program aimed to give way to a Christian oasis in a secular desert. As a […]

Developing participatory processes for the construction of Italian parish complexes. Roman Catholic parishes and their churches, historically ingrained in the urban and rural frame of the Italian context, are now passing through a process of reconsideration and regeneration. In a society more and more multicultural and fluid, the places for worship and spirituality are looking […]

God is beautiful and He loves beauty. Hadith of the Prophet Muhammad A Dargah is a special place that houses the mortal remains of illuminated souls, also known as saints. These sacred shrines are places of pilgrimage and reflection. In the Islamic tradition the word “Dargah” literally means dar—doorway, gah—place, i.e. “the place of the […]

Ten architects representing as many different countries were invited to each design and build a chapel located in a wooded area on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice, Italy. Together, these chapels formed the Vatican City’s pavilion for the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale. This was the first entrance of the Vatican to the […]

Louise Nevelson’s Chapel of the Good Shepherd at Saint Peter’s Church is a singular treasure by many measures—as a work of art, as part of a private-public partnership, and as a retreat in the heart of Manhattan that is open to all. It was the fruit of a series of unlikely alliances between a larger-than-life […]

The design of retreat centers can help or hinder the experience, an experienced retreatant reflects. It was late into the long, summer afternoon. Sunlight slanted across the meadow from a sky the color of faded blue jeans. I sat on sun-warmed grass, my back against a towering limestone slab. It was one of several which […]

Gilchrist Hospice Care is Maryland’s largest hospice organization, serving thousands of families annually through its in-patient facilities and at-home hospice care services. Additionally, Gilchrist provides support services for patients’ families during and after hospice care. Gilchrist’s new Jewish Chapel/Contemplation Suite is located on the Greater Baltimore Medical Center Towson campus. The impetus for the new […]

A retreat is a time, and a place. A religious retreat is a withdrawal from daily life for the purpose of approaching a more meaningful existence. It is a temporary respite from clamor and chaos in exchange for peace and simplicity. It is a separation for the purpose of transformation, getting closer to spiritual truth. […]

Note: you can use your left and right arrow keys to navigate this slideshow. A total of 127 Submissions to the awards program this year represented an increase of about 7 percent over the number of last year’s entrants—good news indeed. One thing that impressed this year’s awards jury were considerations about how designs related […]