The most interesting modern buildings in Prague: The Functionalist Church of Christ the Savior is an architectural gem among blocks of flats | Culture News Pražská Drbna
The building in 2021 became the functionalist church and community center of Christ the Savior. The beautiful building located in Prague 5, which is decorated with a golden light ring or a glass cross, deservedly leads in the ranking of the most interesting buildings in the capital of the Czech Republic. Architects Jakub Žiška and Pavel Šmelhaus, together with Metrostav, built the church for the Roman Catholic Church and the inhabitants of the fifth city district, which will be one of the gems of Czech architecture for many years.
The construction of the church brought many challenges
After two years of construction, it was established in Prague’s Barrandov’s unique Church of Christ the Savior, which includes a community center with the Kristian Café. A spiritual building, managed by a community of believers in a Roman Catholic parish near the church of St. Filip and Jakub Praha-Hlubočepy, was consecrated on November 22, 2020 by Archbishop Dominik Duka of Prague and is considered a so-called side church of the Roman Catholic Church.
The architects of the building had to overcome several challenges. For example, they struggled with a small area of building land, which should also deal with the unusual location of the church. The church building was caused by the Barrandov block of flats.
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Tradition and progressiveness
Although the building is very progressive, it still symbolizes the traditional understanding of the church and its functionality is demonstrable. Light and white, which is a sign of purity, play a key role in the church. Many elaborate elements make the building a jewel, such as a glass cross or a gold ring above the altar. Visitors can get from floor to floor thanks to a distinctive staircase. The community center with a café was located under the so-called nave, which highlights the church above the surrounding terrain. Thanks to this, the building looks monumental.
The church can accommodate up to 358 people, the community center 198 people, while the cafe has 36 seats. The main building materials include reinforced concrete, glass and granite.
Extensive community center with a cafe
The comfortable community center, which is situated on the lower ground floor, consists of a clubhouse and a spacious flexible ballroom, an outdoor terrace, a parish office with a library and a Kristian café. Thanks to the terrace, it is connected to the park and playground, which will be appreciated by parents and grandparents.
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Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament and the Golden Ring of Light
The most intimate place of the whole church became the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament. According to the creators of the project, its shape resembles the way up to God. Visitors can also enjoy special acoustics in the chapel. If the believer finds the right place in the middle of the chapel and whispers a prayer, the intensified reflection will return. The creators of this element were inspired by the Jerusalem Chapel of the Holy Sepulcher.
According to Žiška and Šmelhaus, the golden ring of the church, which gives the place an incredible atmosphere, became the light crown of the whole building. The light atmosphere changes depending on the path of the sun across the sky, so each visit to the church can evoke different feelings.
Glass cross and levitating ceiling above the glazing strip
Among the unique church buildings is the 5.75 meter high glass cross located at the end of the nave of the church. The cross was designed to serve as a counterweight to the chapel. It is interesting that this building in Europe is one of the largest crosses made of such thick laminated glass.
“The glazing belt and levitating ceiling of the main nave are an important architectural element that looks like the exterior and complements the light atmosphere of the interior with the slim lines of sunlight. It was important for the architectural concept to completely suppress the frames, glazing and supporting columns of the ceiling, which required an unusual technical solution,Said the architect about this part of the church Žiška.
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Portal doors and equipment associated with worship
Large all-glass doors form thermal insulating double glazing, which is complemented by hidden metals. The door is atypical and a large handle made of polished aluminum. The door equipment also includes mandatory ditch plates or signs in the form of stripes and doves glued to the glass.
Academic sculptors Stanislav Kolíbal and Petr Váňa will also be abolished to shape the church. While Kolíbal impressed the architects with the design of the altar, the tabernacle, the candlestick for the Easter candles and the chancel, or the rostrum, Váňa won Žiška and Šmelhaus with the design of the tabernacle, the statue of the Virgin Mary and the large stained glass windows. However, Kolibal’s feast and candlestick have not been to this day. All objects were selected to suit the respective parish. Other equipment, such as the aforementioned glass cross, was designed by Jakub Žiška in collaboration with Pavel Šmelhaus.
Finances from the organist, the inhabitants of Barrandov and the archdiocese
The construction of the Church of Christ the Savior cost 200 million crowns. One-fifth of the costs were covered by the Archbishopric of Prague, with organist Pavel Čížek becoming the main contributor. For his services, he received from Pope Francis the title of Knight of the Order of St. Gregory the Great. The remaining funds were thanks to the inhabitants of Barrandov and friends of the parish.
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“The church is selected from recent years. The previous regime boycotted the country’s Christian past, says architect Tran Anh Tuan
“The Church of Christ the Savior is a testament to recent years, as sacral buildings are not currently among the most common typologies in construction. Nevertheless, a certain trend is emerging here, with churches appearing in prefabricated housing estates in the Czech Republic, often in combination with community centers and other small businesses. They complement the lack of higher civic amenities. The previous one openly boycotted the Christian past of this country, which was logically reflected in the absence of sacred buildings in the residential complexes created at this time,Says the building Tran Anh Tuan with the fact that other churches from the late period are, for example, the Church of the Blessed Mary Restituta in Brno – Lesná or the Community Center of Maria Theresa in the South Town.
“I’m fascinated by the way architects work with light”
According to Tran, the overall impression of the church, which is located in a quieter part of Barrandov, is created by the glazed part under the raised ground floor, under which the community center is hidden. The building follows the traditional sacral architecture, although the architects conceived it in a modern way. Thanks to the glazing, an interesting play of lights takes place in the main part of the church. “The interior is modern and clean, rather the decoration of the church in the form of an organ, presbytery or liturgical equipment stands out. Personally, I like the glass cross and I’m fascinated by the way architects work with light, ” adds.
“The most important thing about the whole construction is to uncover the potential of the place. The locals are certainly pleased that the original meadow has fallen into disrepair for several generations, which has changed radically with the construction of the church, which has the potential to become a major association point in the catchment area. I appreciate most how the authors dealt with the cramped space conditions and created a high-quality barrier-free public building, which also works on energy-saving technologies, ” concludes Tran.
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