Catholic Church of Jesus Christ the King, Radebeul

Abstract

Surrounded by a park-like landscape and impressive villas dating from the late 19th century, this simple, triangular glass edifice that forms the Catholic place of worship in Radebeul could be mistaken for a garden pavilion. However, this new building does not try to curry favour with the existing built environment, but rather aims-through its strict, lucid architectural language — to evade any comparison. The rigid, triangular plan shape is relieved somewhat at ground floor level by a curving fair-face concrete wall. The completely random line of the wall separates the entrance area and the vestry from the place of worship itself and at one end includes the confessional box — on plan in the shape of an ear. The wall supports the choir, which protrudes through the facade to form a cenopy over the entrance. Inspired by the nearby vineyards and the surrounding large residences, the architects pursued the idea of an open-air church enclosed within a bower overgrown with dense, wild vines — an idea reminiscent of Laugier’s primitive hut. It is not the facades that demarcate the place of worship, but rather the internal curving wall and the foliage of the trees and vines in front of the facade.