Spiritual Spaces / Architecture, Religion and Loss

The design of the spaces we live in manifest its purposes and uses in different ways, some more subtly than others. In a person’s lifespan there will be several different stages – from childhood to old age – all of which will be reflected in architecture. The nursery is designed in a soft manner, gently welcoming the newborn into the world. And in the final days, many will find themselves in a dimly lit hospice room, surrounded by loved ones. Mourning and loss are completely natural occurrences, but they require both time and space. For this reason, many religious places – like churches, cemeteries, and monasteries – are specifically designed for the visitor to feel closer to God, so that the veil between this life and the next is thinner, facilitating a closer connection with a loved one who has passed on. 

Skogskyrkogården, Stockholm

Travelling south via the Stockholm metro system, it only takes a few minutes before arriving at Skogskyrkogården (which is also the name of the metro stop). In this forest cemetery – literally the English translation of “skogskyrkogård” – inaugurated in 1940, most of the graves are placed among trees in a deep forest, in this way interlacing the boundaries of human existence with the organic shapes of nature. 

Since 1994, it has been classified as a world heritage by Unesco. Specifically, it was the way in which architects Gunnar Asplund and Sigurd Lewerentz created a completely new kind of burial ground, which later came to inspire other resting grounds around the world, that awarded the cemetery this status.  

The architecture itself has been defined as an important world contribution, and the entire site is today considered to be one of the world’s most significant modern architectural accomplishments. 

Between 1935 and 1940, Gunnar Asplund designed Skogskrematoriet, which is the largest compound of the area. It consists of three chapels – of the Faith, of Hope and of the Holy Cross – as well as a crematorium and the large open hall of monuments. 

Everyone who has lost a loved one, regardless of religious or spiritual beliefs, knows how hard this transition can be. A sense of loneliness and loss is almost inevitable in the presence of death. The entire space of Skogskyrkogården was planned with these emotions in consideration, offering solace and support by referencing biblical perspectives and enhancing the presence of God in everything from the design of a chapel to how the sun rays find their way through the many tree tops.

Most of the lighting fixtures are turned slightly upwards, so that the light is directed towards the sky, a motion further emphasised in the sculpture by John Lundqvist, called Uppståndelsemonumentet, where people stretch their bodies and lift their faces toward heaven.

The architects also planned spaces for sorrow in the layout of the cemetery. A number of paths lead up to the chapels where funeral ceremonies still are held. The paths are made for the mourners to walk together. First, one passes birch trees, but as one approaches the chapel, the light birch trees are replaced by denser and darker coniferous trees. 

The changing of trees symbolises, or even intensifies, the feeling of sorrow as one approaches the chapel. After the ceremony, the mourners are led out of the chapel through a different door, signalling the moving on in life, step by step leaving sorrow behind. 

Sigurd Lewerentz, leading up to Almhöjden. The higher you climb, the smaller the steps will become, which is a subtle way to lend a helping hand, making sure that the visitor doesn’t become exhausted from climbing the stairs. When reaching the end of the steps, the visitor will thus not be tired but instead experiencing a sense of calm, an essential part in the coming meditation that might take place on the hill top. 

Skogskyrkogården is an emotional landscape, where the visitors’ sombre mood is softened by diligent and careful architectural planning. The sorrow after losing someone is met with a softness and serenity in both the layout of the landscape and in the beauty of the buildings.

Only four months after its completion, Gunnar Asplund died. He was laid to rest outside of the Chapel of Faith, which he had designed himself, and the inscription on his memory plaque states succinctly that, “hans verk lever” (in English, “his work lives”).

Mosteiro de São Vicente de Fora, Lisbon

For centuries, Portugal’s political influence was reflected in the elaborate architecture and beautiful artworks that filled many of the houses and private palaces in Lisbon. Since then, political power has shifted several times, borders been redrawn and today Portugal finds itself a small country in the southwestern part of Europe, at the border to North Africa. However, its rich history is still present and through monuments and buildings, it points to a time when things were different. 

Mosteiro de São Vicente de Fora was built on the instructions of D. Afonso Henriques, after conquering the city after the siege in 1147. It is dedicated to Saint Vincent, worshipped among the Mozarabs, and its location at the time was outside the city walls (which is what “de Fora” refers to). Mosteiro de São Vicente de Fora was built on the instructions of D. Afonso Henriques, after conquering the city after the siege in 1147. It is dedicated to Saint Vincent, worshipped among the Mozarabs, and its location at the time was outside the city walls (which is what “de Fora” refers to). 

The building was reconstructed in 1580, when Portugal and Spain were part of the same kingdom, and the new design – one of the first Mannerist buildings in Portugal – was planned by architects Filippo Terzi, Juan Herrera and Baltazar Alvares. In the 17th and 18th centuries, rich artistic decoration was added.

The building was used by Canons Regular of the Order of Saint Augustine (who had lived his early days as a monk here) until 1834, when religious orders became forbidden in Portugal. Today, it houses the Curia of the Patriarchate. 

One of its main attractions is the two cloisters, completely coated with Baroque glazed tile panels that depict various profane scenes. It is one of the best examples of Portuguese tile-sets from this period. 

Near the cloisters is the royal pantheon of the Bragança, which was the last and largest dynasty – including emperors, kings, princes, and dukes – of Portugal. During the Renaissance period, this was one of the wealthiest and most powerful noble houses of Iberia, even ruling Portugal and the Portuguese Empire for several centuries, beginning in 1640, including ruling as monarchs of Brazil at one point. 

Not only did they have financial power, but the family also had strong international cultural influence – it was Catherine of Braganza who, as wife of Charles II of England, introduced tea to Britain. 

Regardless of the monastery’s interesting history, it is its rooftop views that make the visit worthwhile. From the terraces, you have the best 360-degree panoramic view of Lisbon and the river Tagus. Visiting at sunset is the best time, as this is when it has fewest visitors and the scenery is the most magical. 

Temple of Poseidon, Cape Sounion

God of the sea, storms, earthquakes and horses, Poseidon was a powerful god and thus one of the Twelve Olympians in ancient Greek mythology. As Greece is surrounded by the sea, Poseidon was an important god, and it was essential to keep him in good spirits. 

In pre-Olympian Bronze Age Greece, he was even venerated as a chief deity at Pylos and Thebes. His Roman equivalent is Neptune. After having fought and defeated his father Cronos, the world was divided between Poseidon and his two brothers, Zeus and Hades. Zeus was given the sky, Hades the underworld and Poseidon was made lord of the sea. The Earth and Mount Olympus were shared and belonged to all three.

When in a bad mood, feeling ignored or disagreeing with human actions, Poseidon would strike the ground with his trident, thus punishing humans with earthquakes and terrible storms, often resulting in the loss of ships and lives. When feeling more benign, he would create new islands and keep the sea calm. Sailors prayed to Poseidon for a safe voyage and drowning horses as an offering. 

He was a major civic god of several cities – in Athens, he was second only to Athena in importance. 

The Temple of Poseidon on Cape Sounion, was built around 700 BC, though there had been earlier sanctuaries on the same site as early as the 11th century BC. Destroyed in 480 BC during Xerxes I’s invasion of Greece, the Athenians later placed an entire warship at the site of the temple, to celebrate the defeat of Xerxes in the naval battle of Salamis, to give thanks to Poseidon for helping them win the war. A few decades later, between 444 and 440 BC, a new temple was constructed (at the same time the Parthenon was rebuilt in Athens). 

The placement of the temple, only thirteen kilometres south of Athens, may be due to military strategies, as it sits looming on the cliffs high over the waters, communicating to the ships below the presence of a strong army and forceful navy. It also had a more practical value, as it offered a place to keep lookout for foreign ships and malignant forces approaching the capital.   

The material and size of the offerings at the temple suggest that it was frequented by the elite and the aristocratic class. Excluding the corner blocks, each side of the temple was composed of twenty-three intermediate blocks. At the centre, there was a hall of worship, containing a six metres tall bronze statue of Poseidon. 

Cimitero di Monumentale, Milan

Different cultures handle death differently. Some prefer to focus on the living, and so there are no specific places to mourn the loss of loved ones. Nomadic tribes, who move from place to place, have no distinct burial grounds, and the same is true for those who lived primarily on the sea. 

A cemetery is a place for remembrance. This is where the living come to reflect and look back. It is at the same time deeply personal and a collective experience. In some cities, like Copenhagen, cemeteries are considered a kind of park by the locals, who go there for walks and to have picnics among the graves. 

In others, like Paris, cemeteries are a tourist destination, and people will look up the location of certain graves belonging to famous artists and singers like Dalida, Jim Morrison, and Marcel Proust, before they visit.

The Cimitero Monumentale is one of the two largest cemeteries in Milan (the other being Cimitero Maggiore). It’s noted for its abundance of artistic tombs and monuments. Since it first opened in 1866, it has been filled with a wide range of Italian sculptures in different artistic styles, Greek temples and even a scaled-down version of the Trajan’s Column. 

Milan is Italy’s industrial and financial centre, and many of the tombs belong to noted industrialist dynasties. For this reason, many of the tombs have been lavishly decorated by some of the most respected designers and artists of Italy, including Giò Ponti, Arturo Martini, Lucio Fontana and Adolfo Wildt. 

You enter the cemetery through the Famedio, a massive entrance hall built in a Neo-Medieval style, where many of the country’s most honoured citizens have been placed for their final rest. The size of a small castle, the names of the dead in this section tell a story of Italian history through the lives of prominent writers, philosophers, and entrepreneurs.

Even though the cemetery is right next to the railroad tracks, the atmosphere is serene and calm. For some reason, places associated with death are often quieter than others, as though it would be in poor taste for signs of life to intrude. 

The cemetery is for remembrance and introspection, to consider life’s ephemerality, before returning to the high pace of the world outside its walls.