For its first participation in the Venice Biennale, in 2018, the Vatican offered a clerical oasis as a pavilion. Divided into ten chapels, each one designed by a renowned architect. Inspired by the Woodland Chapel by Gunnar Asplund, built in Stockholm in 1920, they aim to reflect what a chapel means in the 21^st century.

The chapel designed by Eduardo Souto de Moura is a simple structure designed in large Vincenza stones, awakening the senses and inviting to spirituality.

“…No, it is not a chapel, not a sanctuary and in any case not a tomb. It is simply a place enclosed by four stone walls, while another stone at the center might be the altar. The entrance is screened by a tree we want to conserve. The walls, inside, have a ledge on which we can sit and wait… waiting with our feet on the ground, head in hands. “Things themselves know when they ought to happen”.
David Mourão-Ferreira

Text from the “Vatican Chapels” catalogue, edited by Electaarchitettura