Cheia de Graça Chapel is inserted in the Imaculada Chapel, in Braga.
The project focused on the restoration of the Imaculada Chapel and the high-choir, transforming it into a reserved space for the inhabitants of de Seminary – the Cheia de Graça Chapel. The total ceiling height of the intervening space and the outer walls of the room were taken advantage of, leaving the existing “skin” of stone that manifests around the chapels in a sculptural away
The Chapel erected in wood, from the support structure to the planes conferring the space composed of several pieces of wood, fitted together, creating a balanced structure that manifests as a forest at the entrance of the sacred space. Its canopy creates a space dedicated to the inhabitants of the Seminary and its trunks a filter between the profane space and the sacred space, allowing the visitor to surrender to the space, surrender to the dimension of senses.
A concrete vault surrounds the chapels, imposing itself simple, light and suspended in space, defying its own materiallism. The openings in the dome that extend through its concrete walls create moments of openness, filtering the sunlight and granting a «quiet» accuracy and greater dignity to the structural elements of the roof. The vault creates, along with the remaining elements, a space of absolute “restless silence” remitting to introspection.
This concrete dome has a thickness of 12cm and it is supported by a steel structure almost imperceptible to the observer, allowing it to appear suspended.
The space is also endowed with an acoustic superior quality, its composition of acoustic sandwich panel on the roof and the elongated form of the dome allow for better performance. This brings another level of spatial interpretation, allowing space to be manifested by sound, creating a dialogue between space and the user. Because of this vault, Cheia de Graça Chapel assumes a circular form favoring the meeting, privacy and introspection to the inhabitants of the Seminary.
In the background, a marble slit rises, backlit naturally, transporting the viewer to another physical and spiritual dimension.
Thus, by its composition and scale was given to this space a level of superior intelligibility and a spiritual dimension, allowing the dialogue between space, the individual and the divine.
Text by Cerejeira Fontes Architects
In conversation with Eduardo Souto de Moura
“The first thing that struck me as soon as I arrived was the ambience of this property, which is hard to find. Everyone knows that Alentejo is very beautiful, but I wasn’t expecting to have a prehistoric heritage like this.
Then there were two other factors that were also a surprise where views were concerned. What is unusual in Alentejo is to have water on the edge of the property – the famous Alqueva Dam and the views of Monsaraz which is lovely from the outside in. The second question was the urban nature of this monte. This is not just a house. This is truly a mini-universe, a village. It has its own hierarchy: a street, a square, outbuildings, cloisters. This is what we rarely find in such good condition.
I see things not for their value as such but always from the point of view of how to handle them. That is, what should I do here? Everyone knows that each historic development is unique and Barrocal is a difficult but very interesting project because we are working on the razor’s edge. If we go too far, we’ll spoil it, and if we don’t do enough it won’t work.
The main question here is starting from a position that is theoretically very interesting but actually very dangerous in practice – but it’s the only way. The only way to preserve heritage is to live with it and use it, even if it is damaged in some places. Because only everyday life transforms it into something natural and gives it heritage status.
What’s fascinating here is the change in usage. A building might be created for a particular purpose, and then evolve to meet different, contemporary needs. There is a process that is very absorbing finding out how an olive press, for example, can become a place for a living room with a bar, how agricultural outbuildings can be made into houses, and how a cowshed can be made into a restaurant. This change in use needs hardly any intervention at all. The challenge is how architecture will responde.
I think that people’s first impression will be that they feel at home here, even if they have come just to relax. One is going to read, another is going to write a thesis, another is here for a holiday. People will run into each other and they will go off to buy bread or the paper or they will go out for dinner. They will run into each other and after a few days there will be a connection. I think it is important to form a kind of community. But a fleeting community, because that’s the way it’s designed. Except that the people will have changed. It won’t be the workers anymore, it will be these people drawn from far beyond the monte.”
Text by Eduardo Souto Moura
Available SOON!