십자가 모양의 창문들은 도드락다듬돌에 파서 표현한 것으로 파리 기반 Maroun Lahoud가 디자인하였다. 장식이 없는 큰 규모의 표현은 현지 마론파 교회들이 지닌 기본적인 모습으로, 평평한 지붕과 낮은 종탑을 특징으로 한다. 벽쪽으로 난 십자가 모양의 수많은 입구들로 인해 본관은 자연 채광으로 밝혀지고, 다목적실은 천정까지 이어진 긴 창을 놓았다. 밝은 하얀 색의 벽과 대리석의 창백함이 빛을 반사시키는 데도 도움이 된다.
Cruciform windows are carved through the bush-hammered stone walls of this marble-lined church on Mount Lebanon, designed by Paris-based architect Maroun Lahoud.
St Elie Church comprises a series of stacked blocks that fit into the mountainous terrain of Lebanon's Chouf District, just 30 miles outside Beirut.
Containing a semi-sunken hall, a raised service area and a bell tower, the blocks are constructed from bush-hammered stone that creates a variety of textures and tonal shifts across the facades.
The non-decorative volumes are based on the style of local Maronite churches, which typically feature flat roofs and short bell towers.
"Radiant with its white bush-hammered stone cladding, the church solemnly sits in the landscape," said Maroun Lahoud. "Its aspect embodies the characteristics of the Maronite Church: pure massing and flat roof."
The main church is naturally lit, thanks to a number of cruciform-shaped openings in the walls, while the multipurpose hall set beneath features floor-to-ceiling glazing. Bright white walls and pale marble help to reflect the light.
"The interior is crafted with indirect lighting schemes: zenithal lighting above the altar, sacristy and confessional, and parietal along the lateral circulations," said the architect.
"The white walls seem to diffuse natural light, the marble floor reflecting it in turn."
While wooden cruciform elements were traditionally applied as decoration, architects are increasingly choosing to integrate the symbol into the form of religious buildings – following in the footsteps of Tadao Ando and his Church of the Light in 1989.
from dezeen