Santa María De Las Brisas
Santo Domingo, Chile
Fernando Domeyko Pérez

A church speaks softly of things ancient and modern, transient and permanent, physical and spiritual

© Juan Purcell

For more photos click on 'photos & drawings' above. To see the people and products behind this project click on 'people & products.'

By David Dillon

Designed by Chilean architect Fernando Domeyko, Iglesia de Santa Maria de las Brisas is located in a fashionable suburb of Santiago, Chile, which, like its American counterparts, is a centerless sprawl of overstuffed houses and exclusive golf courses. In 1995, Domeyko won a design competition for a small meditation chapel, only to have his victory annulled when the community decided that what it really wanted was a church that would seat 350. Domeyko won that competition as well, getting the news the day before he returned to his teaching post at MIT.

Timelessness is implicit in the oval—a shape without beginning or end—as well as in the building's conspicuous evocations of ancient precedents, from Stonehenge to Inca fortresses to 11th-century Spanish churches. Yet the architect also chose the oval because it is strong, like an egg, and able to withstand the powerful earthquakes that are common in the region. And because it lacks corners and sharp edges, it doesn't generate winds that could damage the nearby stand of rare boldo trees, which are valued for their medicinal properties.

The interior is spare and dark, with only indirect light on the first level and narrow slots of light above, as though the entire sanctuary were a celestial observatory. The altar faces the sunrise, as in ancient temples, with the morning light forming a stunning abstract cross behind it. Yet within the fluid shell Domeyko has created a smaller rectangular space defined by four tall concrete columns. Structurally, the columns stabilize the egg and keep it from flying apart in earthquakes; ritualistically, they create a church within a church where intimacy and infinity meet.

Overhead hangs a double-curved acoustical ceiling, shaped like a cello or the hull of a boat, and finished in a blond wood that brightens the dark interior. The ceiling slopes downward from the choir loft, compressing sound toward the congregation, then upward over the altar to give the celebrant's voice room to soar. The pale wood provides a mellow counterpoint to the raw concrete, its supple forms playing against the rectangular columns and beams.

See the October 2001 issue of Architectural Record for full coverage of this project.

Formal name of Project:
Santa María De Las Brisas

Location:
Santo Domingo, Chile

Size:
3,600 sq ft

Cost:
$2.5 million

Owner:
Condominio Las Brisas de Santo Domingo

Architect's firm:
Fernando Domeyko Pérez
185 Oakley Rd.
Belmont, MA 02478