CHAPEL OF SAINT PETER, VIANA DO CASTELO, 2020

While working on the design of an urban park near the sea, at Praia Norte in Viana do Castelo, we were invited to include a small chapel. On the site, facing the Bairro dos Pescadores, there was a glazed oratory built with very limited means by the local residents, which was due to be demolished according to the planned works programme. However, there was a strong desire to preserve this community-built structure, in which the inhabitants had chosen Saint Peter, also a fisherman, as intercessor, giving it significant symbolic value.

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The initial intention was to create an open liturgical space accessible to all, inviting reflection. To achieve this, it was necessary to enlarge the small space of less than ten square metres to twenty-five square metres, as it originally accommodated only two to three people, with all community celebrations taking place in the forecourt in front of the entrance. The chosen solution maintained an implantation close to the original, reducing the distance between the chapel and the neighbourhood while preserving a forecourt between them, allowing the assembly to expand and maintaining the symbolic visual framing of the building. However, the new configuration of the chapel’s built volume already allows groups of up to fifteen people to gather inside for communal or individual prayer.

 

Starting from the idea of an individual place of prayer, the chapel was conceived as a calm and introspective space, enabling withdrawal and reflection. For this reason, a single material was chosen for its construction: reinforced concrete, left exposed with formwork marks from timber boards, without finishes or ornamentation. The geometry of the concrete mass visually guides towards the altar and is interrupted only by two narrow slits, which introduce a dim light, detaching the back wall.

 

The natural expression of materials seeks to bring values of honesty into architecture, while the austerity of unfinished surfaces reinforces the search for what is essential. For a place of prayer and reflection, the aim was to create a space that is both welcoming and indifferent, where time itself becomes essential.

For this reason, the furniture was also entirely made of wood, contrasting with the concrete in thermal comfort while maintaining the rawness of its finish.

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The flexibility of assemblies led to the choice of individual benches that can be easily moved to reorganise the space according to the type of celebration. The small cubic elements can be arranged linearly for individual prayer or in a circular layout for mass, liturgy of the word, or prayers for a deceased resident. By moving the benches outside, the narthex becomes the focal point of a celebratory space that extends into the garden.

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The main opening of the chapel is sheltered by four slatted wooden panels which, while allowing glimpses through, can be fully folded back, completely extending the interior to the exterior. In the small covered narthex, some participants of the celebration can be accommodated, and the forecourt facing the neighbourhood can host all those who wish to join.