El Rosario Church
Rubén Martínez Bulnes · San Salvador, El Salvador · 1971
Rubén Martínez’s El Rosario Church is formed by a broad concrete arch spanning the sanctuary without conventional columns. A continuous band of colored glass along the curved roof washes the otherwise raw concrete interior with changing light, turning structure and illumination into the principal sacred elements. The low exterior deliberately avoids the monumental façade typical of historic churches nearby. Its structural economy, material directness and exceptional interior atmosphere make it one of Central America’s most important works of modern religious architecture.