Church of Beatified Restituta

Architect Marek Jan Štěpán has occupied himself withthe idea of this church intermittently for the past 30 years. However, theintention to build a church first came up in the relaxed atmosphere of 1968 andwas finally fulfilled after 50 years. It is the first church to be dedicated tobeatified 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 housingestate at the mouth of the Old scratch ravine. There are three basic masses onit – 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 ofheaven and eternity (in contrast to the square, which refers to earth andtransience). The heaven is reflected back in the colourful annularwindow that embraces the church just below the roof. It might be said that thecircle is floating above Lesná or, on a figurative, transcendental level, thatthe heaven is floating above Lesná. The circle is also very close to thecontemporary perception of liturgy in church that represents the community ofthe Apostles and Jesus around the table during the Last Supper. The tabernacle is located in a tall apse illuminatedfrom above that is situated on the left side of the church. The church wall istorn by a triangular opening at this point, which serves as a reference to thetear in the Jerusalem temple curtain. The interior of the church forms an inneruniverse. It is an organ for communication with God. It is simple, composed,and collected. The visitor should feel safe, balanced, and undisturbed by theoutside world, almost like in the mother’s womb. The soft and sleek lines of the structure form a disembodied inner space shapedby the light coming from the annular window above. Its purpose is to giveindirect, soft daylight that does not cast hard shadows. The symbol of thecovenant between God and His people – the rainbow – is depicted on this80-meter-long window. A circular rainbow is a phenomenon that can actually beobserved from high altitudes, often from planes. The light is turned into anelement that hints on something beyond the limits of material reality,something barely perceivable with our senses. Studio: Atelier Štěpán Author: Marek Jan Štěpán, principal architect Contact E-mail: info@atelier-stepan. cz Website: Studio address: Kremličkova 2008/6a, 621 00Brno-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 Completion year: 2020 Built-up Area 1220 m² Usable Floor Area: 2350 m² Plot size: 3000m² Dimensions: church – diameter 25 m, height 18. 5 m tower – 5. 7 x 5. 7 m, height 31 m asymmetric dome – diameter 23 m, elevation 3. 5 m rainbow ring window – length 80 m, height 4 m, 120 glasses Client: Roman Catholic Parish of Brno-Lesná