4 ms·

The heavy hand of God: Europe's brutalist churches – in pictures

34 points by Kaibeezy 3y ago

sybercecurity 3y ago
My college tried this with their chapel. Since it was a much smaller budget we basically ended up with God's Unfinished Basement. They also ended up losing revenue as alumni stopped using the chapel as a wedding venue.
Tabular-Iceberg 3y ago
If this type of architecture and ornamentation is pleasing to God, wouldn't it be manyfold more pleasing to replace the heart of the Church, St. Peter's Basilica, with it? They don't have to tear it down, they could sell it to a real estate developer that turns it into a museum with paid entry, and instead buy a business park by the airport, a lot more practical.
- bell-cot 3y ago
  Plausible assumption: He is far less interested in the local church architecture than in the health and welfare of the local Christian community. Kinda like a good father's attitude toward the decor in his daughter's bedroom.
  - Tabular-Iceberg 3y ago
    That doesn't answer the question, though. If there was major new revelation of that fact around the 1960s, then why haven't the grand basilicas of Rome been renovated to that effect? It seems to me that it would be more urgent to "fix" those than anything else.
    - bell-cot 3y ago
      The answer is: "NO. God does not share your preoccupation with church architecture. Nor is He interested in needlessly enriching consultants, architects, or construction firms. Perhaps the Temple of Mammon might be more receptive to your sales pitch, if you would see yourself out now?"
      - Tabular-Iceberg 3y ago
        The Catholic hierarchy evidently thinks that he is just as “interested in needlessly enriching consultants, architects, or construction firms” as before the 1960s, just that he now prefers a more secular and perhaps Masonic influence, like that of famous Le Corbusier. It’s this discontinuity that I struggle to understand, and there would still be a discontinuity to explain if they had instead decided that we should all go sit on a tree stump in the woods instead.
        indigo0086 3y ago
        Trees are limited in the amount of shelter needed in human hospitality.
        Tabular-Iceberg 3y ago
        It’s a common objection to organized religion, “why do I need to go to mass on Sundays when I can just go out in nature and appreciate the creation?”. It doesn’t have to be an actual tree stump or the woods, or even nature for that matter, you can substitute for any environment you find pleasant.
- impossiblefork 3y ago
  I think there's a point to both styles. The church buildings are in the end both for people, and as a kind of monument and historical reminder. Just as there are austere denominations and churches, old and new, all sorts of variety, it's not strange that there's also variety in church buildings. Look also how warm and pleasant some of these 'brutalist' churches are on the inside. Space for people to sing in, and for the organ pipes to resound in, austere yes, but not only austere.
lordleft 3y ago
I weirdly think the inhumanity of brutalism is well-suited to churches, in part because the divine is not human: eternal, omnipotent, unambiguous, fundamental. I'm a trinitarian so I actually don't agree with this
bell-cot 3y ago
By brutalist standards, they do look pretty awesome.
deleted 3y ago
[deleted]
gerikson 3y ago
I love these. Reminds me of the 2 brutalist churches by Sigurd Lewerentz: - https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markuskyrkan https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markuskyrkan - https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sankt_Petri_kyrka,_Klippan https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sankt_Petri_kyrka,_Klippan Personally I can state that Markuskyrkan is well worth a visit if you're in Stockholm.
morbicer 3y ago
While Le Corbusier is not strictly brutalism he gives a similar vibe https://archeyes.com/the-saint-pierre-church-in-firminy-le-corbusiers-architectural-epitome/ https://archeyes.com/the-saint-pierre-church-in-firminy-le-c...
asplake 3y ago
Not quite on the same scale but still quite striking, I frequently drive past Sheffield’s Trinity United Reformed Church: https://modernmooch.com/2018/08/19/trinity-united-reform-church-sheffield/ https://modernmooch.com/2018/08/19/trinity-united-reform-chu...
cafard 3y ago
There used to be a brutalist Christian Science church about three blocks from the White House. Despite preservationist complaints and perhaps lawsuits, it came down some years ago, to be replaced with a glass box office building that houses a church and reading room, plus office space. It might have brought in a fair bit of revenue before the pandemic. Need I say that it has its own Wikipedia page? See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Church_of_Christ,_Scientist_(Washington,_D.C https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Church_of_Christ,_Scient....) . I can't offhand think of any operating brutalist church facilities in Washington--not that I spend much time looking for them.

34 points by Kaibeezy 3y ago

My college tried this with their chapel. Since it was a much smaller budget we basically ended up with God's Unfinished Basement. They also ended up losing revenue as alumni stopped using the chapel as a wedding venue.

Tabular-Iceberg 3y ago

If this type of architecture and ornamentation is pleasing to God, wouldn't it be manyfold more pleasing to replace the heart of the Church, St. Peter's Basilica, with it? They don't have to tear it down, they could sell it to a real estate developer that turns it into a museum with paid entry, and instead buy a business park by the airport, a lot more practical.

bell-cot 3y ago
Plausible assumption: He is far less interested in the local church architecture than in the health and welfare of the local Christian community. Kinda like a good father's attitude toward the decor in his daughter's bedroom.
- Tabular-Iceberg 3y ago
  That doesn't answer the question, though. If there was major new revelation of that fact around the 1960s, then why haven't the grand basilicas of Rome been renovated to that effect? It seems to me that it would be more urgent to "fix" those than anything else.
  - bell-cot 3y ago
    The answer is: "NO. God does not share your preoccupation with church architecture. Nor is He interested in needlessly enriching consultants, architects, or construction firms. Perhaps the Temple of Mammon might be more receptive to your sales pitch, if you would see yourself out now?"
    - Tabular-Iceberg 3y ago
      The Catholic hierarchy evidently thinks that he is just as “interested in needlessly enriching consultants, architects, or construction firms” as before the 1960s, just that he now prefers a more secular and perhaps Masonic influence, like that of famous Le Corbusier. It’s this discontinuity that I struggle to understand, and there would still be a discontinuity to explain if they had instead decided that we should all go sit on a tree stump in the woods instead.
      - indigo0086 3y ago
        Trees are limited in the amount of shelter needed in human hospitality.
        Tabular-Iceberg 3y ago
        It’s a common objection to organized religion, “why do I need to go to mass on Sundays when I can just go out in nature and appreciate the creation?”. It doesn’t have to be an actual tree stump or the woods, or even nature for that matter, you can substitute for any environment you find pleasant.
impossiblefork 3y ago
I think there's a point to both styles. The church buildings are in the end both for people, and as a kind of monument and historical reminder. Just as there are austere denominations and churches, old and new, all sorts of variety, it's not strange that there's also variety in church buildings. Look also how warm and pleasant some of these 'brutalist' churches are on the inside. Space for people to sing in, and for the organ pipes to resound in, austere yes, but not only austere.

lordleft 3y ago

I weirdly think the inhumanity of brutalism is well-suited to churches, in part because the divine is not human: eternal, omnipotent, unambiguous, fundamental. I'm a trinitarian so I actually don't agree with this

bell-cot 3y ago

By brutalist standards, they do look pretty awesome.

deleted 3y ago

[deleted]

gerikson 3y ago

I love these. Reminds me of the 2 brutalist churches by Sigurd Lewerentz: - https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markuskyrkan https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markuskyrkan - https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sankt_Petri_kyrka,_Klippan https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sankt_Petri_kyrka,_Klippan Personally I can state that Markuskyrkan is well worth a visit if you're in Stockholm.

morbicer 3y ago

While Le Corbusier is not strictly brutalism he gives a similar vibe https://archeyes.com/the-saint-pierre-church-in-firminy-le-corbusiers-architectural-epitome/ https://archeyes.com/the-saint-pierre-church-in-firminy-le-c...

asplake 3y ago

Not quite on the same scale but still quite striking, I frequently drive past Sheffield’s Trinity United Reformed Church: https://modernmooch.com/2018/08/19/trinity-united-reform-church-sheffield/ https://modernmooch.com/2018/08/19/trinity-united-reform-chu...

cafard 3y ago

There used to be a brutalist Christian Science church about three blocks from the White House. Despite preservationist complaints and perhaps lawsuits, it came down some years ago, to be replaced with a glass box office building that houses a church and reading room, plus office space. It might have brought in a fair bit of revenue before the pandemic. Need I say that it has its own Wikipedia page? See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Church_of_Christ,_Scientist_(Washington,_D.C https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Church_of_Christ,_Scient....) . I can't offhand think of any operating brutalist church facilities in Washington--not that I spend much time looking for them.