The Church of the Light: A Cross of Light Floating in the Dark

As the project’s modest site and budget did not allow the building to be anything more than a simple box, the architect was faced with the challenge of figuring out how to create a space for prayer within this small volume. He thus approached the design with the aim of realizing “a primary space that remains after everything else has been stripped away.”

Ando drew inspiration from Romanesque monasteries. He recalled the cave-like spaces built by the hands of monks at a Cistercian monastery, and the light that shined through their windows. They were symbolic spaces for prayer characterized by abstract light rather than elaborate ornamentation or dynamic form.


That memory gave rise to the idea of creating the chapel as a concrete box punctured by a cross-shaped opening that fills the interior with light.

The construction phase came with its own challenges. The project’s completion was particularly jeopardized when it became evident that the construction funds would run out before the roof could be made. Ando even considered the idea of leaving the building unroofed to be used as an open-air chapel. Ultimately, however, the construction company behind the build provided a donation that allowed it to be completed as planned. Ando was deeply moved to witness a work of architecture be created in this day and age through the power of collective will rather than economic reason.

The chapel has a strict geometric composition centered on the rectangular box, which is sized to fit three 5,900-millimeter-wide spheres and is pierced diagonally by a freestanding wall. A rich variety of scene changes and spatial shifts have been worked into and around this composition.

With no direct entrance from the fronting road, the chapel is instead accessed via a path that circles around the concrete box. Visitors gradually guided out of the everyday realm and into the realm of prayer then enter the chapel through an opening created by the diagonal wall.

The interior of the chapel steps down towards the front, and the darkness of the space is augmented by the black floor made of painted scaffolding planks, black benches, and black lectern. This darkness enhances the intensity and beauty of the light shining through the slits in the front wall, which form a bright cross floating in the dark.

The chapel interior takes on various expressions as the light changes throughout the day. This space that seems to manifest the Creation creates a setting for people to quietly face God and offer their prayers.

A decade after completing the chapel, Ando designed an annex to house a Sunday school, and he later also renovated the neighboring pastor’s residence. He gave careful consideration to ensuring that the new buildings would harmoniously meld with the site environment as a whole rather than simply appending them to the existing structures.

Designed to read as a pair with the chapel, the Sunday school is composed of a concrete box of a similar size to the existing building and is served by a porch and other common areas. In contrast to the chapel, it contains a light-filled space appropriate to be used by children, and its furniture and floors are made of natural wood to add to the bright atmosphere.

The Church of the Light was realized through the collective will of the architect, construction company, and members of the church, who worked together to overcome the various challenges faced by the project. The completed architecture is not merely an extraordinary work of a single architect, but rather a shared space of faith that continues to live on and support many people in their lives.