Religious Architecture, Public Space, and Contemporary Society

Public spaces have the capacity to become communal platforms for hosting and celebrating all kinds of religious festivities. This has occurred since time immemorial, reaching its peak during the Baroque period, when ephemeral monuments and temporary structures were built to decorate and temporarily complement liturgical acts. Throughout history, the architecture of the city has often served as a scenographic backdrop for numerous religious events that have enjoyed wide popular participation. Certain streets and historic buildings were adorned with tapestries, banners, and all manner of decorations, becoming the stage for these celebrations. Indeed, the sacred building exerts an influence that extends far beyond the boundaries of its plot. Urban spaces in the city, especially those surrounding temples, have the ability to transform their transient character to become, with greater or lesser means, platforms for socialization and open-air stages for liturgical functions.

In the Western context, however, the advent of modern science, the emergence of autonomous ethical frameworks within religions, and the expansion of non-denominational states have progressively accelerated the secularization of society. This process has led to a decline in Judeo-Christian religious practices and rituals, including within private homes, in the domestic sphere, and in places of worship, in community spaces, and in public squares and streets of towns and cities. This phenomenon, coupled with a decline in religious vocations, among other factors, has resulted in the obsolescence or partial and total abandonment of a significant number of religious buildings and complexes—including churches, chapels, sanctuaries, oratories, convents, and seminaries—as well as the underutilization of their associated intermediate spaces and the deterioration of the public areas surrounding them.

At the same time, paradoxically, a significant segment of society continues to express a need for alternative or complementary spiritual practices beyond those rooted in Christianity. These include meditation, yoga, Zen, Reiki, and other Eastern therapies or traditions associated with different religions. Individual introspection, contemplation, contact with nature, and communal gatherings—whether through regular meetings or spiritual retreats aimed at fostering inner reflection, silence, care, or transcendence—demonstrate that, despite the prevailing culture of materialism and relativism, there remains an enduring impulse to seek some notion of ultimate reality.

Currently, as we approach the end of the first quarter of the 21st century, we face the challenge of redefining a portion of religious architecture that has been abandoned, rendered obsolete, or fallen into disuse. The same has occurred with the surrounding public space—streets and squares—whose dynamism largely depends on the intensity of the activity taking place within this sacred heritage. This process involves recontextualizing these spaces in relation to contemporary cultural concerns, the needs of diverse communities, and the various expressions of spirituality emerging in today’s society.

In general, these architectural complexes and buildings, along with the public spaces surrounding them, form part of historic urban fabrics of great heritage value, and are located in privileged areas of cities. Their majestic spatiality, noble materials, and exceptional environmental conditions make them identity-defining places for the citizenry (Arboix-Alió et al. 2023). As such, they are well-suited to once again accommodate a range of functions, rituals, and activities that, in the contemporary world, require spaces for collective gathering, harmony, and connection with culture and transcendence, but also for retreat, silence, and contemplation.

The aim of this Special Issue is precisely to present examples from all periods—from the most recent years of the 21st century to those from earlier eras—that demonstrate the presence of religion in the public spaces of towns and cities, forming a perfect interplay between urban architecture as scenography, public space as a stage, the ritual of liturgical celebration as a narrative script, and society and citizens as a co-participating audience.

This objective is achieved through the selection of nine original articles from diverse geographical and thematic backgrounds, offering valuable insights into the complexity of this phenomenon. Through case studies, these contributions not only propose strategic solutions for preserving and reactivating these exceptional spaces and their surroundings, but also deepen our understanding of the historical, cultural, and symbolic significance of religious buildings and complexes, and their contributions to the identity and cohesion of urban societies.

The case studies presented in this collection of articles are situated in communities with a Catholic tradition across different continents. Covering locations in Ethiopia, the Philippines, Portugal, Venezuela, Massachusetts, France, and Spain—along with articles focusing on cities such as Barcelona, Madrid, and Tortosa, among others—these contributions seek to explore the intricate connections between religion, public space, and society. Together, they aim to provide meaningful insights and serve as valuable references for shaping the future of religious architecture in contemporary cities.

Firstly, a highly relevant issue today is the adaptive reuse of religious buildings that have experienced a decline in the frequency and intensity of their primary function. This challenge is addressed by Eduardo Delgado Orusco in “Wake up cities! A heritage rebalancing plan from the sacred”, which proposes a heritage rebalancing strategy for the repurposing of disused historic temples, advocating their transformation into cultural and educational centers (Delgado, 2025). This strategic plan not only safeguards the historical and artistic value of these buildings, but also meets the contemporary needs of modern urban communities. The concept of rebalancing heritage and urban resources aligns with sustainable development policies and urban revitalization strategies.

These strategies began to take shape in the mid-1960s in the United Kingdom, as growing awareness of the value of historic buildings led to a recognition of the need to find alternative uses for them rather than resorting to their demolition. This approach not only preserved architectural heritage, but also integrated these structures into broader urban redevelopment processes.

“The overall quality of the urban environment depends more on the maintenance and improvement of existing buildings than on the quality of newly constructed ones”.

(Stone 1971)

Nevertheless, the article also highlights the need to balance this transformation and the repurposing of an excessive number of religious buildings in historic city centers by constructing new churches or multireligious centers in newly developed neighborhoods, which often lack dedicated spaces for meditation or worship.

Another case that directly concerns public space examines how to accommodate large crowds during major religious events. José Antonio Ramos Abengózar, Ignacio Vicens y Hualde, and Jaime Ramos Alderete present “Ephemeral Religious Architecture: The Visits of the Pope to Madrid” (Ramos, Vicens y Hualde, Ramos, 2025). In this study, the authors explore how public space can be temporarily adapted for large-scale religious gatherings through the design of ephemeral architectures that transform urban environments into sacred spaces. This research is particularly relevant in a world where large religious events require flexible and adaptable architectural solutions, demonstrating the ability of architecture to respond to temporary needs while preserving its symbolic significance.

It is relevant to recall here that Alison and Peter Smithson defined three characteristics of public spaces that are closely linked to the associative needs of citizens: permanence, periodicity, and the ephemeral (Avermaete and Ockman 2005). The first two must occur regularly to enhance daily life in society, while the third—which is addressed in this chapter—takes place sporadically to accommodate an extraordinary event.

A similar situation to the one described in the article occurred in Barcelona during the XXXV International Eucharistic Congress of 1952. Public spaces such as squares, streets, and avenues were used for celebrations, gatherings, conclaves, concerts, exhibitions, and performances, alongside existing architectural structures. Thousands of citizens congregated in locations such as Plaça de la Catedral, Passeig de Sant Joan, and Avinguda de Maria Cristina. Additionally, major venues including the Oval Hall of the Palau Nacional in Montjuïc, the Olympic Stadium, the Palau de la Música, and the Auditorium of the University hosted numerous events (Muñoz et al. 2002).

In some cities, due to their temperate climate, cultural traditions, or the natural disasters they have faced, religious worship already takes place directly in open-air settings, either with the aid of small ephemeral structures, or even without them. This phenomenon is explored by Esteban Fernández-Cobián in “Philippines: Open Spaces for Catholic Worship” (Fernández-Cobián, 2025). This study provides a typological cartography of these spaces, highlighting the significance of temporality and the physical connection between interior and exterior in the religious architecture of the country.

The architect Bernard Rudofsky argues that nations historically marginalized by poverty make exceptional use of their city streets. These spaces are experienced as three-dimensional volumes, inseparable from their environment, rather than merely perceived as two-dimensional areas (Rudofsky 1969). In these countries, the street serves as the grand theater of the world that is also capable of accommodating the community’s religious rituals—blessings, processions, public prayers, funerals, festivals, and patron saint celebrations are deeply embedded in the collective imagination and have been present in the urban landscape for centuries.

Other articles in this compilation look back to historical examples to recover certain historical and social aspects and explain how architecture ultimately reflects the religious spirit of each era.

Notable contributions in this regard come from Ricardo Gomez-Val, Iñigo Ugalde Blázquez, Cinta Lluís-Teruel, Pilar Morán García, and Bar Kribus. On one hand, the examples of renowned architect Josep Lluís Sert, discussed in the article “The Sacred Architecture of Josep Lluís Sert: Modernity and Tradition in Times of the Second Vatican Council” (Ugalde-Blázquez et al., 2025), illustrate how the profound changes brought about by the Second Vatican Council served as a challenge and an opportunity to design remarkable religious buildings.

Given the shift toward vernacular languages, the repositioning of the officiant to face the congregation, and the desire to involve the entire community, Sert grasped these changes and skillfully fused modernity with tradition. This article highlights the importance of understanding historical and liturgical contexts in architectural design and reveals a previously underexplored connection between Sert and religious architecture, which is brought to light here for the first time.

On the other hand, “The Apse of the Gothic Cathedral of Tortosa versus Saint Augustine’s Civitatis Dei” (Lluís-Teruel et al., 2024) delves into the influence of Saint Augustine on the construction of the Gothic cathedral of Tortosa, uncovering insights made possible using advanced technologies. Through spatial analysis using laser scanning and correlations with patristic and Neoplatonic sources, the study reveals the complex interplay between Gothic architecture and Saint Augustine’s seminal work.

Finally, in “A Re-Examination of the Sources of Inspiration of Ethiopian Concentric Prayer Houses: Tracing an Architectural Concept from the Roman and Byzantine East to Islamic and Crusader Jerusalem to Solomonic Ethiopia”, Kribus offers a novel historical perspective on how influences from the Roman and Byzantine East, as well as from Islamic and Crusader Jerusalem, helped shape religious architecture in Ethiopia (Kribus, 2024). This study not only enriches our understanding of Ethiopia’s architectural history, but also highlights the cultural and religious interconnectedness between the East and West across the centuries.

In a similar vein, though shifting back to a more urban scale, several articles examine the importance of temples, both for their intrinsic symbolism and their role as mediators between public space and the community.

The article “Question and Symbol: Challenges for a Contemporary Bell Tower” by Pablo Ramos Alderete, Felipe Samarán Saló, and Ana Isabel Santolaria Castellanos explores the significance of bell towers in the contemporary context. Through an academic workshop with architecture students, the article examines how these traditional symbols can be adapted to modern challenges, integrating with the urban environment while responding to contemporary demands (Ramos et al., 2025).

Continuing this larger scale, the article “The Sacred Building and the City: Decoding the Formal Interface Between Public Space and Community” by João Silva Leite, Sérgio Fernandes, and Carlos Dias Coelho compares the formal architectural characteristics of temples and their integration into the urban design of Lisbon. The study offers valuable lessons for creating public spaces that enrich the urban fabric and foster community cohesion (Silva et al., 2024).

The final article concludes the collection by once again emphasizing the liturgical recontextualization mentioned at the beginning of this editorial. Using the case study of the multifaith room designed for the Sant Joan de Déu Pediatric Cancer Center, which serves patients and families from around the world, the article brings to the forefront the debate on the need for spaces that enable transcendent practices without being tied to any specific religion—yet accommodating all at once.

In “Multifaith Room for the Pediatric Cancer Center of Barcelona—An Intrahospital Public Space in the City,” Alba Arboix-Alió and Oriol Ventura Rodà reflect on the importance of such spaces, which allow for isolation, meditation, silence, or prayer—needs that are essential in public buildings in general, and especially critical in a children’s hospital (Arboix-Alió & Ventura, 2024).

In conclusion, this Special Issue has successfully achieved its objective of presenting examples from various historical periods and locations where the presence of religion in the public spaces of cities is evident. It also addresses the challenges of managing underutilized or abandoned religious heritage and reflects on the paradigm shift currently taking place in spiritual practices, particularly in the Western world. When considered as a whole, and despite the different approaches taken, all the contributions reveal a clear connection between existing religious architecture, urban public space, and society’s spiritual habits embracing the triad that gives this collection its title: Religion, Public Space, and Society.

Louis I. Kahn stated that “a city is measured by the character of its institutions. The street is one of its first institutions.” The church is as well. He further observed: “Today, these institutions are being questioned. I believe this is because they have lost the inspirations that originally motivated their creation” (Norberg-Schulz and Digerud 1981).

If, as Kahn suggests, the street and the church are once again to become social and civic institutions, faithful to their origins, both must be capable of acting in coordination, offering architectural platforms for communal use. They should also be able to exchange functions, allowing the physical and ideological boundaries that have developed between them over recent decades to regain their permeability, ensuring mutual enrichment for the benefit of both the ecclesia and the city, along with its citizens.

We extend our sincere thanks to all the authors, reviewers, and editors who contributed to this Special Issue. Their dedication, expertise, and thoughtful insights have been essential in enriching this collection and advancing the dialog on the relationship between religion, public space, and contemporary society.