Modern Religious Architecture in Germany, Ireland and Beyond: Influence, Process and Afterlife since 1945

Description

Modernity and religion are not mutually exclusive. Setting German and Irish church, synagogue and mosque architecture side by side over the last century highlights the place for the celebration of the new within faiths whose appeal lies in part in the stability of belief they offer across time. Inspired by radically modern German churches of the 1920s and 1930s, this volume offers new insights into designers of all three types of sacred buildings, working at home and abroad. It offers new scholarship on the unknown phenomenon of mid-century ecclesiastical architecture in sub-Saharan Africa by Irish designers; a critical appraisal of the overlooked Frank Lloyd Wright-trained Andrew Devane and an analysis of accommodating difficult pasts and challenging futures with contemporary synagogue and mosque architecture in Germany. With a focus on influence and processes, alongside conservationists and historians, it features critical insights by the designers of some of the most celebrated contemporary sacred buildings, including Niall McLaughlin who writes on his multiple award-winning Bishop Edward King Chapel and Amandus Sattler, architect of the innovative Herz-Jesu-Kirche, Munich.

Kathleen James-Chakraborty is Professor of Art History, University College Dublin School of Art History and Cultural Policy, Ireland. Lisa Godson is Lecturer in Visual Culture, National College of Art and Design, Ireland.

This is a fascinating collection of essays about modern and contemporary religious architecture from a diverse range of viewpoints, including historical, critical, creative and conservation approaches. The parallels and interchanges between Ireland and Germany explored here are most illuminating. The scope of the book is impressive, including Irish missionary churches in Africa and contemporary architecture for Jewish and Islamic communities. Underscoring the whole collection there is, indeed, a consistent and thought-provoking theme of 'community', as the essays explore how architects and artists have sought to address the desires of religious and ethnic groups to make places for themselves within modern society. * Dr. Robert Proctor, Senior Lecturer in Architectural History and Theory, University of Bath, UK * An extraordinary and innovative book which not only makes us understand that religion is a genuine part of modernity, but also confronts us with the seemingly paradoxical phenomenon that some of the most extravagant and avant-gardist buildings of modern architecture have been invented for religious purposes. * Wolfgang Sonne, Professor of History and Theory of Architecture, Technical University of Dortmund, Germany *