The Holy Mass celebrated by Pope Francis during his pastoral visit to Slovakia was held in the pilgrimage site in Šaštín. Around 60,000 people attended this Mass on September 15, 2021. According to the winning design in the national competition (BOGÁR architekti and ER atelier) the presbytery was shaped as a transparent architecture open to the surrounding landscape designed to be environmentally friendly. The constructions and the method of using materials were considered in a way close to the ideas of Pope Francis which focuses the attention on ecology and protection of the environment. The main structure and the liturgical elements were re-used after the pontifical mass. The arms of the main Cross contained fragments of wooden beams from the St. Jacob’s church of Moravská Nová Ves damaged by a devastating tornado in the neighboring Czech Republic in June 2021. Beams from a damaged church express our belonging and compassion to people who have lost their loved ones and their homes.
Credits
Architecture
BOGÁR architekti and ER atelier; Michal Bogár, Mária Bogárová, Ema Ruhigová, Roman Ruhig
Client
Bratislavská arcidiecéza / Archdiocese of Bratislava
Year of completion
2021
Location
Šaštín, Slovakia
Photos
Mária Bogárová, Michal Bogár Jr., Roman Ruhig
