Publikace

Sculptural Approach to the Design of the Catholic Churches in the Czech Republic

Ing. arch. Eva Svinteková

The Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) has changes ways of thinking and approach to the Catholic Church all over the world. Countries of the former Communistic bloc didn't have much chances to put the new principles into effect. Nevertheless there were two architects in the Czech republic, Lubomir Slapeta and Ludvik Kolek, who had a contact with the West Church and had an opportunity for making these ground-breaking principles into the Czech sacral architecture to come true. While access of the Lubomir Slapeta reflects the main changes of the Second Vatican Council (new layout of the sacral space as the place of gathering of the believers) and presents an architectural a structural design of the modern church made of masonry and steel, Ludvik Kolek, an artist, shows a unique sculptural approach to the new sacral architecture. Ludvik Kolek designed his first church of St. Joseph in Senetarov. It was a few months after the "Prague Spring" held in August 1968. Extraordinary design uses reinforced concrete as a sculptural material equally, just as Le Corbusier (chapel Notre Dame du Haut in Ronchamp 1953-1955 or convent La Tourette 1956-1960) or Gottfried Böhm (pilgrimage church of Maria, Königin des Friedens in Neviges 1966-1968). Some architectural critics claim that Ludvik Kolek was inspired just by a sculptural expressionism of Le Corbusier. The paper discusses the architecture work of the artist Ludvik Kolek and the open of the possibilities of the sculptural design of the reinforced concrete. It presents three of his churches made of the reinforced concrete - church of St. Joseph in Senetarov, St. Wenceslaus in Breclav and concrete skeleton church of St. Agnes and St. Wenceslaus in Hustopece.

Za obsah této stránky zodpovídá: prof. Ing. arch. Petr Vorlík, Ph.D.