Nature Enters the Church

architects Marta Rowińska, Lech Rowiński
project The votive chapel of St Alex, Tarnów village, Poland
written by Agnieszka Kuczyńska

 

The votive chapel dedicated to St Alex in the village of Tarnow is situated on a bend of the Vistula river, on the edge of the bank, and strikes one with its modesty. Unlike most sacred objects built in Poland during the last 30 years, where church architecture is often loud and eclectic, this one stuns with its simplicity. Just the delicate iron cross on the ridge of the roof suggests the building’s function. The slender wooden structure is placed on a reinforced concrete plate.