Mounds of open fields elevate Our Lady of Sorrows Chapel as it watches over Nesvačilka, a small village that has longed for the structure for over a century, imbuing its people with renewed faith and spiritual reflections. Located in the region of South Moravia of the Czech Republic, the chapel was recently completed after being 12 years in the making, contributing to the religious and socio-cultural landscape of the village. Encircled by the Stations of the Cross in a ring-like, perambulating form, the religious building and its approach are further defined by a series of apple trees along the two distinct paths that lead to the village. Designed by Prague-based Czech architecture practice RCNKSK founded in 2015 by architects Filip Kosk and Jan Říčný, the timber architecture edifice utilises traditional techniques reinterpreted through a contemporary design lens.

The parishioners and Father René Strouhal envisioned a chapel design that identified with the surrounding natural landscape while reflecting the history and culture of the region. It took 12 years to accumulate donation funds and finish the construction piece by piece, which allowed the architects to refine the conceptual design and pay attention to every technical detail in great depth. Unfazed by the financial and technical constraints, the architects executed the sustainable intervention in close collaboration with the builders, suppliers, craftsmen and the local community.

The facade design is minimalistic and rustic, accentuated by perforations in the wall that offer natural light and air to pour into the space. Natural materials such as larch, fir, spruce, stone, oak, ash and birchwood contribute to a sustainable design, while holding a symbolic significance and bringing faith into a desiccated landscape, according to the architects in an official release. The timber construction is supported on a rubble masonry base approximately two metres high, as seven beams affixed to the stone wall rise and converge on a 'point' on the ceiling, supporting the roof assembly and visually extending the vertical expanse of the space. The chapel's form and interiors symbolically depict the earth and the heavens in a cylindrical shell while reflecting the pain and suffering of the chapel’s patroness, Our Lady of Sorrows, chosen by the residents of the village. The gneiss stone architecture symbolises the mortals, “stubborn, disobedient and difficult to mould”, while the seven beams reach for the skies, representing the Seven Sorrows of Mary.

The religious architecture is crafted with traditional construction techniques albeit using modern technology, featuring tactile and durable materials such as rammed earth construction for the altar table, along with steel for the bespoke furniture designs, the tower and the choir loft structure. A five-meter-high entrance introduces the visitors to the grand space, where the 15-metre-long beams, crowned by a steel spire, visually dominate the space, displaying detailed carving and craftsmanship. The rammed earth flooring and quarried stone substructure of the chapel architecture contrast the wooden lamellar structure, traditionally held together by pegs and wedges, using CNC milling to keep the components together.

The rustic interior design of Our Lady of Sorrows Chapel underlines the simplicity and underlying struggles of village life while at the same time weaving faith with communal harmony, often emblematic of smaller rural communities. As rays of light penetrate the wood architecture to illuminate the chapel, one ought to be compelled to see the light within and examine one’s sense of being through an innate reflection that such structures inspire. By utilising materials that age gracefully and, with time, add more character to the space, the architects sought to add to a built environment that is at once time-less as well as quintessentially grounded in local context.

Project Details

Name: Our Lady of Sorrows Chapel
Location: Nesvačilka, Czech Republic
Architects: RCNKSK
Client: The Roman Catholic Parish of Moutnice
Project Area: 150 sq. m.
Year of Commencement: 2012
Year of Completion: 2024