© Fabrice Fouillet

Constructing places of worship has always been an intricate practice, managing to detach the human, and release the boundary between body, mind, and spirit. Holy presence has been crucial in designing and constructing sacred places, which is why almost all religious building possessed similar characteristics: grandiosity, monolithic material, natural elements, and a plan that compliments an individual’s circulation through the space. Contemporary religious structures, however, found a way to adapt to the evolution of architecture. Unlike the Gothic or Baroque periods, modern-day architecture does not have a dominant identity. It is, in fact, a combination of postmodernism, futurism, minimalism, and everything in between. Architects have found a way to transform these exclusive, religion-devoted places into structures of spirituality, manifestation, and fascination.

Here is a selection of contemporary religious buildings that prove once again that architects are breaking all boundaries of creativity.

The San Josemaría Escrivá Church

© Fran Parente

Bosjes Chapel

© Adam Letch

Rippon Chapel

Courtesy of Kojii Fuji / Nacasa & Partners Inc.

KAPSARC Masjid

© Abdulrahman Alolyan

Mohammad Rasul-Allah Mosque

© Ahmad Mirzaee

Chapel in Valleaceron

Courtesy of S.M.A.O

Sunset Chapel

© Esteban Suarez

Reading Between the Lines

© Filip Dujardin

Sancaklar Mosque

Courtesy of EAA Emre Arolat Architects

Wotruba Church

© Denis Esacov

Parish Church

© Vicens & Ramos

Temple in Stone and Light

© Akash Kumar Das

Oasis – Pastoral Care Voestalpine

© David Schreyer

Bahai Temple

Courtesy of Asamblea Espiritual Nacional de los Bah'Ìs de Chile + Hariri Pontarini Architects

Lotus Temple

Courtesy of Futo Tussauds

Agri Chapel

© Yousuke Harigane

Suzhou Chapel

© Pedro Pegenaute

Pilgrimage Church

© Laurian Ghinitoiu

Poland’s Anti-Communism “Solidarity” Churches

Cathedral of Northern Lights

© Adam Mork

Thorncrown Chapel

© Randall Connaughton

Temporary Chapel for the Deaconesses of St. Loup

© Milo Keller

Chapel of Reconciliation

Courtesy of Wikimedia User Ansgar Koreng / CC BY 3.0 (DE)

© Fabrice Fouillet

Constructing places of worship has always been an intricate practice, managing to detach the human, and release the boundary between body, mind, and spirit. Holy presence has been crucial in designing and constructing sacred places, which is why almost all religious building possessed similar characteristics: grandiosity, monolithic material, natural elements, and a plan that compliments an individual’s circulation through the space. Contemporary religious structures, however, found a way to adapt to the evolution of architecture. Unlike the Gothic or Baroque periods, modern-day architecture does not have a dominant identity. It is, in fact, a combination of postmodernism, futurism, minimalism, and everything in between. Architects have found a way to transform these exclusive, religion-devoted places into structures of spirituality, manifestation, and fascination.

Here is a selection of contemporary religious buildings that prove once again that architects are breaking all boundaries of creativity.

The San Josemaría Escrivá Church

© Fran Parente

Bosjes Chapel

© Adam Letch

Rippon Chapel

Courtesy of Kojii Fuji / Nacasa & Partners Inc.

KAPSARC Masjid

© Abdulrahman Alolyan

Mohammad Rasul-Allah Mosque

© Ahmad Mirzaee

Chapel in Valleaceron

Courtesy of S.M.A.O

Sunset Chapel

© Esteban Suarez

Reading Between the Lines

© Filip Dujardin

Sancaklar Mosque

Courtesy of EAA Emre Arolat Architects

Wotruba Church

© Denis Esacov

Parish Church

© Vicens & Ramos

Temple in Stone and Light

© Akash Kumar Das

Oasis – Pastoral Care Voestalpine

© David Schreyer

Bahai Temple

Courtesy of Asamblea Espiritual Nacional de los Bah'Ìs de Chile + Hariri Pontarini Architects

Lotus Temple

Courtesy of Futo Tussauds

Agri Chapel

© Yousuke Harigane

Suzhou Chapel

© Pedro Pegenaute

Pilgrimage Church

© Laurian Ghinitoiu

Poland’s Anti-Communism “Solidarity” Churches

Cathedral of Northern Lights

© Adam Mork

Thorncrown Chapel

© Randall Connaughton

Temporary Chapel for the Deaconesses of St. Loup

© Milo Keller

Chapel of Reconciliation

Courtesy of Wikimedia User Ansgar Koreng / CC BY 3.0 (DE)