Sanctuary Mariendom Linz

In collaboration with artist Heimo Zobernig, Kuehn Malvezzi won the first prize in the international competition for the redesign of the sanctuary of the New Cathedral in Linz, Austria. The competition called for the creation of a space where the relation between priest, congregation, and liturgical objects becomes apparent. The design and positioning of the liturgical objects such as the altar and the ambo, the priest’s chair and the cathedra, articulate the different liturgical situations spatially. The objects are placed on a rectangular pedestal in the crossing of the cathedral.
During ceremonies, the altar area is activated by slightly elevating the pedestal, whereas in everyday life the altar island becomes part of the crossing at ground level: a public space connecting the Cathedral with the very center of the city of Linz.