Joaquim Portela Architects has designed a Catholic chapel where intense, heavenly rays of light shine onto the pews.
The structure, called the Aurélios Chapel, hasn't been built yet, but the Portugal-based firm collaborated with Metro Cúbico Digital, a firm that makes 3D visuals, to create an artistic rendering of the concept.
The architects named it after Portugal's Aurélio Pereira, a soccer recruiter who scouted Portugal's most valuable players, Senior Digital Artist Jacinto Monteiro tells Business Insider. The team won the Euro 2016 in July, so they decided to name the chapel after him — though the design has nothing to do with soccer.
The architecture firm hopes to start building the church in the Swiss Alps by 2017, but there isn't a concrete timeline for construction yet, Monteiro says.
In the meantime, take a look at the design.
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The concrete chapel would cling to the edge of a rocky cliff in the Swiss Alps, Monteiro says. The architects hope to build it in a secluded area, surrounded by nature, so the space can serve as a quiet refuge for prayer.
A tall, angled tower would reach up toward the sky, narrowing at the top. A long skylight at the highest point would let natural light into the chapel's interior.
Rays of sunlight — symbolizing divine light — would shine down on the marble altar and the first few wooden pews, Monteiro says. A freestanding crucifix and candlestick holder would sit next to the altar.
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