In the northern Portuguese town of Vila Nova de Famalicão, architect Hugo Correia has just completed this beautifully simple white concrete church, Santiago de Antas.
The build is designed to integrate into the local landscape and is placed at the center of the community. Its minimal concrete exterior features rings that swoop and interlock, referencing the crown of thorns placed on Jesus’ head before crucifixion. The rounded walls have minimal openings, but hidden skylights allowing natural light to enter the building. The black framed door evokes a crucifix.
Inside, the 500-seater church blends white walls with wooden benches. Two marble lines run from the exterior along the wooden floors, one representing the River Jordan, where Jesus was baptized, and running to the baptismal font, and the other representing the Sword of St. James (Santiago in Portugal and Spain) and running to the pulpit, behind which is a large mural.
Check out a selection of images in the gallery above. For more, visit Designboom and architectural photographer João Morgado’s site.
Elsewhere in the design world, a 32-year-old Keith Haring mural has been uncovered in Amsterdam.
