New oratory of the Roseaire Retreat Center (Florida)

In addition to carrying out integral projects, Granda collaborates with other architects, helping them to carry out the projects they have designed.

The new oratory at the Roseaire Retreat Center in Florida (USA), recently inaugurated, is a clear example of this collaboration.

This new oratory is part of the second expansion project carried out at the center, under the direction of architect José María Oyharzabal.

Working hand in hand with the architect responsible for the project, for the new oratory we have opted for a simple and luminous interior, without overloaded elements. The overall clarity is enhanced by a simple wooden coffered ceiling and a brownish stone floor. For the colors, we have opted for tones in the range of grays and whites. We have sought, at all times, to create an atmosphere conducive to meditation and prayer.

In addition to participating in the overall project and in the planning of its iconographic concept, Granda has elaborated all the elements that make up the oratory and the sacristy: altar, ambo, seat, tabernacle, Stations of the Cross, benches, reliefs, altarpiece, candlesticks, altar cross, lamps of the Blessed Sacrament, candelabra and reliquary, among others.

For the presbytery, a central altarpiece has been made in the form of a triptych, with the representation of the Holy Family and adoring angels of 350 x 150 cm in height. The altarpiece is framed in fiberboard with a lacquered finish. The altar, the ambo and the seat are made of polished green marble, thus opting for a design of sober lines. The central decoration of the altar stands out with a grid and ornamental details in marble that gives a greater sense of spaciousness to the presbytery.

In addition to the tabernacle, made of gilded metal, the relief of Blessed Alvaro del Portillo is another important element of the presbytery. It is made of resin with a polychrome finish on a background of polished green marble.

Roseaire Retreat Center is a retreat center located in South Florida that opened its doors in 1974 and welcomes more than 650 participants each year.