Josep Lluís Sert’s Contribution to Sacred Architecture
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17979/aarc.2025.12.12939Keywords:
Josep Lluís Sert, Modern Architecture, Sacred Architecture, Visual Arts, ChapelAbstract
The life and work of Josep Lluís Sert (Barcelona, 1902–83) are widely known. Less well known, however, is his contribution to sacred architecture. Historiography has recognized three significant projects by Sert in this field: the church in Puerto Ordaz (Venezuela, 1951), Saint Botolph’s Chapel (Boston, USA, 1963-68) and the Carmel de la Paix Chapel (Mazille, France, 1967-72). A recent study, however, has identified a dozen sacred architecture projects developed by Sert on different scales and levels of definition, from mere urban integration to completed works. All of them display two characteristics of Sert’s work: city and regional planning and the integration of the visual arts. Sert’s view of the Catholic faith, strongly influenced by the French theologian Teilhard de Chardin, would influence his conception of liturgical space.
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