The chapel is set within a dense pine forest in the Peloponnese, on a steep rocky slope crossed by a narrow path. The request for a small spiritual space of prayer and contemplation opened a more personal reflection on the values, memories, and bodily experiences through which architecture can give form to prayer.
The pine trunks already establish the first layer of protection. They filter the view, slow the approach, and create an initial condition of withdrawal. Within this wooded enclosure, the chapel is formed by five stone walls, slightly displaced to produce a turning entrance sequence. Built from the same local rock as the terrain, the walls follow the slope and turn it into a narrow descent.
At the upper level, a square landing holds the path for a moment and marks the entrance to the chapel. From this point, the walls rise from the ground and thicken the distance between the visitor and the surrounding landscape. The floor becomes a stepped interior, a small theatre of descent, organizing the movement toward the altar at the lowest level. The body gradually enters the enclosure’s depths, while the forest remains present through shadow, sound, and filtered light.
The structure is mainly formed from thick slabs of local Karnazeiko stone, joined through traditional techniques. The steps are made from the same stone, allowing walls, floor, and ground to belong to a single continuous system. A thin canopy of weathered steel covers only the altar, offering shade and protection from rain, while the remaining space opens to the pine trees and to the depth of the sky. At the lower edge of the chapel, a precise three-centimetre cut reveals the thickness of the massive stone walls and provides a measured awareness of the horizon.
Prayer is received through descent, through the weight of stone, and through the quiet continuity between body and earth.
Architects: P4architecture
Design Team: Alkiviadis Pyliotis, Evangelos Fokialis, Konstantinos Pyliotis, Angeliki Kontokosta
Contributors: Margarita Togia, Panayiota Kyriakou
Landscape Architect: Chrysi Gkolemi
Civil Engineers Consultants: Skalos EPE, Dementrios Kokas
Mechanical & Engineering Consultant: KNS Engineers
Architectural Models: Doussis Marble (Konstantinos Dousis, Nikolaos Doulos)
Project Type: Private Commission
