The design and layout of this new chapel dedicated to the Holy Family was approached from the outset with the enthusiasm of someone facing a new challenge. On the one hand, the space had to be calm and welcoming and invite to prayer in a study and work environment such as the university; on the other hand, it had to fit in with the contemporary aesthetics of a teaching building of reference for being the first intelligent university building with a hanging structure.
The newly inaugurated chapel is located in the interior of the Headquarters IVIt is located in one of the corners of the eighth floor. It is oriented to two glass facades, two large sources of natural light that illuminate the interior evenly.
The modernity of style can already be glimpsed with a particular arrangement of the space, which breaks with the traditional layout: the presbytery is located on one of the blind walls, which also happen to be the most elongated, creating a horizontal space that shortens the distance between the faithful and the minister during the celebrations.
The central motif of the presbytery is a relief, modeled by Granda, representing the Adoration of the Magi. This scene, starring the Holy Family, is also linked to science because of the presence of the Wise Men, and was very appropriate in a leading educational space such as the Catholic University of Colombia.
The composition, fragmented and arranged around the tabernacle, establishes a duality between the adoration of God the Child and God the Eucharist.
In order to give the space unity and coherence, three materials have been used for the decoration: oak wood, to create warmth and an atmosphere of seclusion, travertine marble, symbol of the eternity and solidity of the Catholic religion, and stainless steel, a link to the modern construction of the building.
The oak wood purple flower is the main element in the presbytery area. It forms the platform and covers the wall and ceiling in the form of horizontal slats. This ceiling, which extends into the nave, seems to float above the space dedicated to the assembly, thus favoring the recollection within the nave.
The travertine marble, Rome stone has been used with a honed finish with an open coquetry in the main liturgical elements: altar, ambo and seat, and with a polished finish and arranged in horizontal slats for the flooring of the chapel and auxiliary rooms.
The metal is present in two forms: it has been used for silver for the relief of the presbytery and the pieces of gold and silver work and stainless steel matte for window louvers.
Pedro Manuel Salamanca, Auxiliary Bishop of Bogota, Monsignor Pedro Fernando Mercado, Judicial Vicar, and the institution's chaplains, Fathers Edwin German Chaves and Eduard Bonilla, presided over the consecration ceremony.
Photograph after the consecration ceremony.
Aspect of the finished chapel.
