Abstract

Meinhard von Gerkan said about the Chapel of Reconciliation in Berlin that it was "one of the best modern-day buildings between Hamburg and Munich." This articles concludes that: "It was faith in sheer force that destroyed the Forgiveness Church twice. When designing a chapel on its site, Rudolf Reitermann and Peter Sassenroth turned weakness into power of expression. 'Forgiveness is as fragile as clay,' they wrote. The two irregular ovals (one inside the other) point, in a subtle manner, to some important directions and places. We enter along a zigzag route, passing the space surrounding the building, fenced with a louver of vertical planks. This is a perfect place, which is not sacral yet, and already encourages informal meetings. It is an expression of the belief that spirituality cannot be enclosed merely in the walls of a temple and in pathos-filled sermons. Inside, through a glass pane in the floor, we can see the remnants of the former church and a bomb dating back to World War II, which never exploded and lies on the basement stairs."