“Small but Fine” | a field chapel defined
Field chapels are a very special type of space. The users are temporary. The feelings change. The uses vary. Field chapels have a few basic functions: a quiet, intimate, meditative space, a gathering place for believers, and a destination for pilgrimage. A pilgrimage is defined in the journey, not the destination. A person is defined by experience, not society. A chapel is defined by spiritual connection, not walls. By these three statements, a field chapel is defined: journey, experience, spiritual connection.
A journey is an experience. Spiritual experience establishes spiritual connection. The journey to the field chapel must include moments for personal reflection and opportunities for sacrifice. The journey needs to be meaningful and indirect. It needs to be testing physically, mentally, and spiritually. It must demand patience and prove devotion.
Spiritual connections are hard to define. Chapels need to create and allow for a spiritual atmosphere. A story must be clearly told in the architecture: the geometry, the symbolism, the material, the light. One needs to establish a connection with the space. Some people feel spiritual in a church. Some feel spiritual in a home. Some feel spiritual with loved ones. Many feel spiritual in nature. If the chapel has a strong connection with nature, a strong connection with the divine also exists. To establish this natural connection, the chapel needs to have natural geometries, spiritual symbols, raw natural materials and exposure to the elements.
Construction should also require sacrifice from those involved. Experiences and emotions are communicated through materials. Architecture can communicate the stories of its builders. The pyramids are much more than geometrical perfection; they are evidence of sacrifice. A chapel should be the same. It should be a witness to what occurred there.
It must tell the story…
Seth Ellsworth
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