To mark the centenary of the birth of Javier Carvajal Ferrer (1926-2013), considered by many to be one of the most important Spanish architects of the 20th century, we are publishing a previously unpublished lecture he delivered at the VIII Meetings of European University Professors, held in Santiago de Compostela during the summer of 1995. Drawing on words written by Pope John Paul II on the occasion of the establishment of the Pontifical Council for Culture (1982), Carvajal explains to his audience —in his characteristically passionate, halting and circular style— the commitment every Christian has to contribute to building a civilization rooted in the love of Christ. The artist, in particular, must place their talents at the service of their fellow human beings, so that, by understanding themselves, they may be able to create and transmit a new beauty that alleviates the burden of life for other human beings, thus illuminating the times in which each of us lives.

The church of Ribadelago was part of the second response given by the Directorate General of Architecture to the collapse of the Vega de Tera dam on 9 January 1959. The first proposal, rejected only a week later under the sign of the historicist language, the definitive project was fully inserted into the paradigm of modernity. The architects adopted the new formal and constructive currents consolidated in Occident, characterised by rationality, essentiality and functionality, with the church being the flagship of the village. Designed in January 1960 by Antonio Teresa Martín and with the intervention of the artist José Luis Sánchez, they did not skimp on solutions which the Liturgical Movement and the Modern Movement in an extraordinary proposal for the renovation of the religious architecture of the 20th century, demonstrating the precise turning point in official architecture between historicism and the avant-garde.

Presentation of the issue and index.

Built between 1950 and 1959, the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church represented the culmination of the collaborative work of parishioners, lay groups, and the then Diocese of Sonora to establish the first 20th-century parish on the urban periphery, serving a growing migrant and low-income population. Designed by José López Moctezuma, the church exhibits characteristics of traditional sacred architecture and the formal and constructive grammar of the first phase of the Modern Movement (MoMo). This paper first provides a contextual overview to explain the situation of the Church in Sonora after decades of conflict with the State, and the sociocultural characteristics of the communities that participated, under the leadership of Bishop Juan Navarrete and other priests, in the organization and construction of the church and its establishment as a parish. Following this, descriptive and interpretive analyses of the building’s architectural and symbolic qualities are undertaken, and some final observations are offered as conclusions.

The Chapel of the Wounded Christ in Zagreb, designed by Antun Urlich in 1936, represents a rare example of modernist sacred architecture integrated within the city’s historic core. Conceived as an architecture of silence, the chapel transforms light, proportion, and material into carriers of spiritual meaning. Embedded in the Foundation Building on Ban Jelacic Square, it contrasts the noise of urban life with an inner atmosphere of contemplation. The research interprets the chapel as both architectural and theological innovation, linking Croatian modernism with wider European movements that sought new expressions of the sacred through simplicity and clarity. Urlich’s minimal composition - stone, glass, and light - creates a space where modern rationalism meets transcendence. The chapel stands as a lasting dialogue between faith and modernity, proving that silence and light can become the true language of sacred architecture within the heart of the modern city.

Josep Maria Bosch Aymerich was a prolific architect, with a wide variety of commissions from the very beginning of his career. Although sacred architecture is not the most developed of his works, he has received several commissions that allow him to experiment with liturgical spaces. One of his first projects, the SEAT housing complex (1953), includes a plan for a school with a church that would serve as a parish church.Bosch’s sacred architecture demonstrates the role the Catholic Church played in Spanish developmental society. This role was evident not only in the main temples but also in every institution.

The life and work of Josep Lluís Sert (Barcelona, 1902–83) are widely known. Less well known, however, is his contribution to sacred architecture. Historiography has recognized three significant projects by Sert in this field: the church in Puerto Ordaz (Venezuela, 1951), Saint Botolph’s Chapel (Boston, USA, 1963-68) and the Carmel de la Paix Chapel (Mazille, France, 1967-72). A recent study, however, has identified a dozen sacred architecture projects developed by Sert on different scales and levels of definition, from mere urban integration to completed works. All of them display two characteristics of Sert’s work: city and regional planning and the integration of the visual arts. Sert’s view of the Catholic faith, strongly influenced by the French theologian Teilhard de Chardin, would influence his conception of liturgical space.

The Parish Church of Santa Cruz del Pedregal in Mexico City is a prime example of the transformation of Catholic sacred spaces during the mid-20th century. Antonio Attolini’s modifications to José Villagrán’s original design reveal not only a reinterpretation of modern architecture but also the sensitivity of the Missionaries of the Holy Spirit to the influences of the Liturgical Movement. Based on unpublished archival material and oral testimonies, this study sheds light on the factors that led to these modifications, highlighting the decisive role of Pedro Corona M.Sp.S and other priests and artists. A plan by Villagrán with handwritten notes reveals the transformation of the project as a dialogue between architectural generations and liturgical traditions. The history of this project thus reveals the convergence of architecture, art, liturgy, spirituality, and community life.

This article examines the preliminary design for the Santa Clara Church, designed by Miguel Eyquem Astorga between 1954 and 1956, and situates it within the context of a series of religious architectural works developed at the Institute of Architecture of the Catholic University of Valparaíso (UCV). These works responded to the same question regarding the architectural form capable of accommodating prayer, generating a body of knowledge focused on liturgical and lighting aspects. Santa Clara stands out for the radical way in which Eyquem conceived the interior light: a cube whose envelope filters the light, dematerializes the wall, and transforms it into a radiant surface. The research reveals a design method based on the observation of natural phenomena and experimentation with full-scale models. The research argues that Santa Clara functioned as a design laboratory, from which the Institute consolidated its own position, introducing an experimental perspective to the architectural avant-garde and to architectural education in Chile.