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Cited by 16Architecture, Modernity, and DesignReligious Tourism and SpacesArchitecture and Art History Studies

Healing Space: The Synaesthetic Quality of Church Architecture

Open access
Daelemans, Bert·2020·Religions
DOI 10.3390/rel11120635
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Abstract

There is a growing literature on the healing effects of buildings designed for healthcare, but publications that insist on this spiritual and healing dimension in church architecture are rare. Contemporary ecclesial buildings are often rightly criticized for their cold and soulless emptiness. However, through the analysis of four emblematic case studies, this article aims to lay bare an essential dimension of architecture that is often overlooked, a multisensory and synaesthetic dimension that engages our body even before we become aware of it. Hence, this article builds upon the recurrent plea of spatial theorists, philosophers, and architects for synaesthetic space as a reaction to a dominant ocularcentric environment. Surprisingly, contemporary church architecture seems rather propitious to deploy this inherently religious dimension that is at once healing and spiritual in a new sense, which is especially needed nowadays.

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42 of 42 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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Authors
Daelemans, B.
Affiliations
Universidad Pontificia Comillas (ES)
Corresponding author
Daelemans, Bert
ORCID
Daelemans, Bert
Venue
Religions
Publisher
MDPI AG
Published
2020-11-26
Volume
11
Issue
12
Pages
635
ISSN
2077-1444 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3390/rel11120635
OpenAlex
W3106580363
Cited by
15
References
42
Citations by year
2026: 6 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 3 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 1
FWCI
7.21
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Religions (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Comillas Repository (Comillas Pontifical University) (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • Lirias (KU Leuven) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Architecture › Architecture, Modernity, and Design
  • Social Sciences › Geography, Planning and Development › Religious Tourism and Spaces
  • Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Visual Arts and Performing Arts › Architecture and Art History Studies
Keywords
church architecture, synesthesia, multisensory experience, healing spaces, spiritual healing, ocularcentrism, sacred space, body and space

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