Czech Colorful Circular Church

In most people’s minds, church architecture is a space that is meticulously crafted and rich in stained glass art. The minimalist design of the church. Except for Tadao Ando’s famous Church of Light, stunning works are still rare.

But in the Czech Republic, there is a church with a similarly simple design that has attracted attention recently.

Built by the well-known architectural firm Atelier Štěpán, the Roman Catholic Church of Beatified Restituta is located in Lesná, a residential area in the northern part of Brno, the second largest city in the Czech Republic. Its geometrically simple structure composed of columns, triangles and cuboids, and its magical colorful windows have become a hot topic in the architectural community recently.

The simple church does not seem to take much time to build, but from the proposal to the completion of the church, it went through many twists and turns and took 50 years to be put into practice.

The original intention of building this church was to commemorate the martyr Maria Restituta Kafka, an Austrian-Czech nurse who was executed during the Nazi rule and was therefore canonized as a martyr and beatified by the Catholic Church. The church is only 600 meters away from her birthplace.

The original appearance concept was also expected to be a refined and large-scale religious center like other traditional churches. However, Leisner, surrounded by residences, did not have enough space to meet this expectation, so it was changed to a simple and geometric route.

This church, which can accommodate 400 people, is composed of the original rectangular religious center, a circular church and a triangular tower. In order to echo the surrounding cityscape and not appear obtrusive, it was mainly constructed of concrete.

Above the most eye-catching circular church, the stained glass art of traditional churches is simplified, and 120 pieces of stained glass are used instead to form an 80-meter-long panoramic colorful window, symbolizing heaven, eternity and perfection. The triangular opening on the side of the building buries the story of the “veil torn” of the Jerusalem Temple when Jesus died.
Entering the room, all lighting equipment is hidden inside. The structure is as simple and harmonious as the appearance. It simulates the “feeling of a womb” and uses extensive use of streamlined structures to create a solemn and vital atmosphere. Looking up, the light penetrates the colored glass and converges on the dome, as if you have a glimpse of heaven.