Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows, "Kalvarija" sanctuary, Vitez, Bosnia and Herzegovina

AUTHOR: Roman Vukoja, M.Arch.

CO-AUTHOR: Academician Đuro Seder (author of the artistic design of the altarpiece "The Risen Christ" and the stained glass study)

INVESTOR: Parish of St. George the Martyr, Vitez, Bosnia and Herzegovina

PUBLICATIONS: Čovjek i prostor (Man and Space), issue 01-12 2014 (716-727)

Annual exhibition of the achievements of Croatian architects in 2014

CONCEPT:

The Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows is located on the hill "Kalvarija", a historical sanctuary of the Lašva Valley and central Bosnia. The chapel was built by the Jesuit Order at the beginning of the 20th century. The sanctuary is today under the administration of the Franciscan Parish of St. George Vitez, Franciscan Province of Bosnia Srebrena.

The context of the chapel is the Way of the Cross with 14 stations, a climb up a hill that leads to the chapel on the top of the hill "Calvary". During festivals, the Way of the Cross on the hill "Calvary" is outlined as a path of light towards the Chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows by the traditional lighting of lamps along the Way of the Cross.

The concept of the chapel interior is based on the spatial interpretation of the Stations of the Cross as a path of light (which man consciously chooses) following Christ towards Calvary. The Stations of the Cross that end at Calvary are architecturally interpreted as a glazed strip of light in the floor of the chapel at Calvary. The glazed strip of "light" in the floor runs through the interior of the Chapel towards the altar and continues continuously on the vertical frontal surface of the altar mensa towards the cross (on the mensa) as the finale and completion of the Stations of the Cross (the path of light).

Behind the cross on the altar mensa appears the painting "The Risen Christ" (authored by Academician Đuro Seder) with the motif of the Resurrection as the grand finale and the meaning of the entire Stations of the Cross. Academician Đuro Seder is the author of the altar painting "The Risen Christ" and the stained glass windows on the existing openings in the side walls of the chapel. The spatial intervention in the interior of the chapel is minimalist and is reduced to the solution of the ground floor and glazed elements and furnishings, while the basic element-medium of architecture is light.

The floor of the Chapel is made of Brač stone-veselja in combination with a strip of laminated tempered glass illuminated by dispersed LED lighting.