Church of Beatified Restituta

Architect Marek Jan Štěpán has occupied himself with the idea of this church intermittently for the past 30 years. However, the intention to build a church first came up in the relaxed atmosphere of 1968 and was finally fulfilled after 50 years. It is the first church to be dedicated to beatified Marie Restituta who was born approximately 1 mile from its location. A rectangular plateau is laid out on the plot that defines the sacred district. The church is located in the heart of the housing estate at the mouth of the Old scratch ravine. There are three basic masses on it – the church, the tower and the spiritual centre (designed by Zdeněk Bureš). The church has a circular floor plan. The circle is an age-long symbol of heaven and eternity (in contrast to the square, which refers to earth and transience). The heaven is reflected back in the colourful annular window that embraces the church just below the roof. It might be said that the circle is floating above Lesná or, on a figurative, transcendental level, that the heaven is floating above Lesná. The circle is also very close to the contemporary perception of liturgy in church that represents the community of the Apostles and Jesus around the table during the Last Supper. The tabernacle is located in a tall apse illuminated from above that is situated on the left side of the church. The church wall is torn by a triangular opening at this point, which serves as a reference to the tear in the Jerusalem temple curtain. The interior of the church forms an inner universe. It is an organ for communication with God. It is simple, composed, and collected. The visitor should feel safe, balanced, and undisturbed by the outside world, almost like in the mother’s womb. The soft and sleek lines of the structure form a disembodied inner space shaped by the light coming from the annular window above. Its purpose is to give indirect, soft daylight that does not cast hard shadows. The symbol of the covenant between God and His people – the rainbow – is depicted on this 80-meter-long window. A circular rainbow is a phenomenon that can actually be observed from high altitudes, often from planes. The light is turned into an element that hints on something beyond the limits of material reality, something barely perceivable with our senses. The tower stands further from the church. Project: Church of Beatified Restituta Studio: Atelier Štěpán Author: Marek Jan Štěpán, principal architect Contact E-mail: info@atelier-stepan. cz Website: Studio address: Kremličkova 2008/6a, 621 00 Brno-Řečkovice, Czech Republic Co-author: Vanda Štěpánová, architect, František Brychta, architect, Jan Vodička, architect, Martin Kopecký, architect Project location: Nezvalova street, Brno – Lesná Project country: Czech Republic Project year: 1991-93, 2013-17 Completion yea r: 2020 Built-up Area: 1220 m2 Usable Floor Area: 2350 m2 Plot size: 3000 m2 Client: Roman Catholic Parish of Brno-Lesná Client's e-mail: farnost@farnostlesna. cz Client's website: