The construction site already left a promising impression a year ago during the winter: Four arches with eighteen and twenty-six metre spans and an iconic tower were built next to impressive church ruins from the 16th, 17th and 19th centuries. A return to Jojutla, in the Mexican state of Morelos, to see the completed church was guaranteed. Expectations were particularly high when the church designed by architects Dellekamp + Schleich and AGENdA was awarded second place in the International Prize for Sacred Architecture of the Frate Sole Foundation in Padua. The high expectations that had been raised were unfortunately disappointed. Despite everything, the award is not surprising. The church in Jojutla undoubtedly achieves the «spiritual atmosphere as well as courageous innovations outside of any conventionality» desired by the foundation in Padua.

The coming together of the church epochs © Laure Nashed

The long church nave is flanked by four large arches that span the lower “belly” of the church. Fragile and at the same time robust, the elegant church presents itself without outer walls. The church tower, a simple rectangle, overlooks the small town of Jojutla. At the top of the tower, the cross is marked as a hollowed-out shape. The church bell presents itself without protective tower walls, naked on the same façade. The feeling arises of never having seen such a church and yet knowing it by heart. Besides associations with simple children’s drawings of churches, one draws references to architecture by Félix Candela, Louis Kahn or Jørn Utzon and postmodernism.

Architectural experiments for Jojutla

The strong simplification of a typology to its essential elements and the synthesis of necessity and aesthetics are among the characteristics of the work of architects Dellekamp + Schleich. Together with the Colombian architecture firm AGENdA, they were invited to create a symbol of hope and at the same time a milestone of social cohesion after the previous church collapsed following the devastating earthquake in 2017. Compared to the other reconstruction projects in Mexico, it was decided to use the public money in Jojutla not for housing projects, but for public space. Only a fraction of the money was used for the urgently needed reconstruction of residential buildings. In return, Jojutla received six public facilities designed by renowned architects from the capital. All the structures were completed in less than two years. They are united by an experimental attitude that was made possible by the low density of standardisation and the pioneer mentality of the builders, which is typical for Mexico.

Earthquake-resistant openness

Especially in the church designed by architects Dellekamp + Schleich together with AGENdA, structural ingenuity was pushed to the limits. The 60 centimetre wide concrete walls create a duality between openness and lightness versus robustness and austerity. The fluid transition to the interior of the church is made perceptible by a change of material. The lower walls, the floor and the barrel vault are formed with bricks. The building thus ties in with local traditions – and it has a pleasant, warm atmosphere. The visual framing of the interior by large arches creates a space that is both introverted and open. Especially in the current Covid 19 pandemic, this light-filled and climatically exposed place where the air can circulate is very welcome.