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Tree of Life Chapel

BOOKMARK ARTICLE



Described by its architects as ‘a singular structure, balanced and visible, an exceptional piece inside the building’, the Tree of Life Chapel is located in the Saint James Seminary in Braga, Portugal.

Built in the seminary’s antechamber, the chapel creates an atmosphere for reflexion and provides an intimate place for prayer. There is deliberately no door, as the architects wanted people to feel an invitation to enter while keeping in tune with the fluidity of the passageway leading to the chapel. The wooden doorframe is seemingly transparent and permeable.

The volume is fully made of pine wood, including the joints, with no metal elements. The architects worked in a close collaboration with artist Asbjörn Andresen to design this ‘built sculpture.’ Meanwhile, the benches appear from the floor in an organic construction.

‘Tree of Life shows how the new architectural languages can belong to the Christian architectural tradition,’ add the Cerejeira Fontes Architects.

Photos courtesy Nelson Garrido.

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