3 surprisingly lovely Churches: Traditional (and a Bonus)

In a previous post (here)  I shared 3 chapel / churches that were picked as best of their year, that were unusual and rethough religious spirituality from an architectural point of view.

The following three are no less beautiful, but more traditional in design as a house of worship.

The Bahá’í Temple of South America

This is a Bahá'í temple of Santiago Chile. I will admit I don't know all that much about Baha'i except that it is pretty open, so I copied the google definition. "Baha'is believe that we have free will, to turn towards God or reject him. They also believe that true religion is compatible with reason, and the Baha'i teachings encourage people to use their intellect in understanding the world (and religion)."

Bosjes Chapel

In South Africa, the bosjes Chapel sits in the vineyard area around Cape Town. Given the variety of religions (Catholics, Anglicans and Lutherans) the Chapel itself appears pretty non-denominational "Christian". The interior created by windows and the rooflines are meant to expose the congregants to God's wonder of nature.

Saemoonan Church

In South Korea a Christian Church is interesting, but not amazing, until you read their design notes. Then it makes more sense (to me): 

"Saemoonan Church’s form resembles a mother’s arms reaching towards the sky. Moving away from the use of spires, the project features a curved form that turns to the sky. The curves are meant to symbolize God’s love and mercy. With the building, one can also see other Christian symbolism turned into more abstract forms within the design."

Our Lady of Fátima Chapel

Finally a chapel that I cannot get a hold of mentally. I mean it is an extremely minimal Catholic chapel. And it speaks to me on some spiritual level - although I'm not sure what. I tend to be interested in unique designs that speak to thought. But this one hits me on a more gut level. Something that is Catholic, but organic and somehow true to the roots of a church open to all and accepting.

I will let them explain it: 

"Two trapezoidal pieces put together in a tent-like arrangement form the dominant aesthetic of this structure. Drawing from the scouting experience, the pointed upper edge of the structure imitates a scout’s scarf and symbolizes a commitment to the movement. The lack of doors or partitions reflects the building’s openness to everyone, at all times. The roof is also supported by 12 wooden beams as a nod to the 12 Apostles. This structure is accompanied by several wooden logs arranged to act as seating.

The chapel shows how religious symbolism can be showcased using the simplest forms and no ornamentation. Plano Humano Arquitectos translated several Christian ideologies into simplistic forms that blend in with the site and the building. As the years go by, we see that spaces for faith are adopting more conceptual ways of adopting religious ideas instead of displaying them on walls as decorative elements. The focus has turned to the experience of spaces instead of how grand they appear."