Church of the Sacred Heart in Munich

In 1994, the church previously occupying this inner-city site was destroyed by fire. The new church consists of a volume set within another volume: a translucent glass cube envelops a timber shrine, which houses the main liturgical space. Access to the church from the forecourt is via two small wicket doors within the huge entrance portal. From the vestibule, the route leads beneath a massive concrete organ loft into the main space, which is filled with light. The inner spatial enclosure consists of a timber-framed screen containing more than 2,000 vertical wood louvres, arranged in such away that the light increases in intensity towards the altar. In contrast, the outer facade is in clear glass at the vestibule end, but completely opaque at the altar end, thus shielding this area from external view. Another important feature ofthe design is the programme of art. The entire altar wall is taken up by a shimmering, golden, metal-fabric curtain, into which the form of a cross is woven (artists: S.and B. Lutzenberger). The narrow space between the outer facade and the louvred wall is a way of the Cross, the various Stations of which are formed by black-and-white photos ofthe Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem (artist: M. Wähner). Sunk into the floor of the nave are five chambers containing abstract depictions ofthe five wounds in Christ’s body (artists: M. Weiss and M. de Mattia). The 436 glass panels in the main portal bear images of nails arranged to form an inscription of Christ’s Passion from the St John’s Gospel (artist: A. Beleschenko).