Belarusian Memorial Chapel


Location: London

Completion Date: 2017

Client: The Holy See of Rome

This new build wooden chapel was commissioned by the Holy See of Rome for the Belarusian Diaspora Community in London to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

In Belarus alone, almost 25% of its territory and 20% of its population suffered in the aftermath of the disaster, as 70% of the radioactive fallout fell on Southern Belarus. This chapel has been designed to serve as a reminder of the traumatic loss of a great number rural settlements in Belarus and Ukraine.

The design draws inspiration from the rural wooden churches in Belarus, and aims to combine their traditional architectural language with contemporary building technologies and concepts. The materials palette was restricted to wood and glass to reflect the austere and tranquil beauty of traditional wooden churches.