The renovation of the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima created a contemporary-romantic ambience that continues the history of the place. The message of architecture nowadays seems to be the pursuit of the deepest layers of humanity: quasi-anonymous structures at the service of a community
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![Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, architectural interventions to preserve the atmosphere](/o/adaptive-media/image/11110140/copertina-hd/Our+Lady+of+F%C3%A1tima+Shrine_RobertGutowskiA_02.jpg?t=1621350432286)
Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, architectural interventions to preserve the atmosphere
The Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima located in the remote village of Alsószentiván in Hungary is a popular place visited by a multitude of pilgrims who needed adjustments to accommodate the believers with dignity
- #Europe>
- #Hungary>
- #New construction>
- #Building recovery>
- #Worship>
- #Church / Outbuildings>
- #Wood>
- #Stone>
- #Restoration>
- #Architecture>
![Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, architectural interventions to preserve the atmosphere](/o/adaptive-media/image/11110145/newsletter-1/Our+Lady+of+F%C3%A1tima+Shrine_RobertGutowskiA_01_Featured+image.jpg?t=1621350432301)
The primary objective of Robert Gutowski Architects' project was to preserve the original atmosphere: natural materials that are mainly wooden structures that were used to build the new outdoor area for a reception site, benches, a belfry and a service building
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The concept guiding the project was to use inexpensive structures that were easy to build but designed in detail. The former classicist palace is a legacy of rural architecture favoured by the nobility of the era. During the renovation of the building, efforts were made to preserve the original spaces and traditional materials were used
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The open-air liturgical space was renovated and a new processional route was built, the turning point of which was a glade opening onto the adjacent field. An old residence located in the wooded area was renovated together with the adjoining church
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The new stone altar forms the emotional centrepiece of the interior renovation of the church; it was built from the base of a twenty-ton monument that was found on a site occupied by Soviet military barracks
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Gallery
Photo credits
Top image, content and gallery images: Tamás Bujnovszky