Suelchen Curch Bishop‘s Burial Vault
The current church was constructed between 1447 and 1454 in the Late Gothic style. During excavations, fundaments of a pre-romanesque church with a triple-apsed choir dating from the ninth century were found and remains of another church, from the sixth or seventh century, are believed to lie beneath. From a cultural-historical and archaeological point of view, the finds are of paramount importance.
Our scheme has adopted the underlying axial symmetry from the existing late gothic church building. The open space created by excavations is occupied by a monolithic volume, forming a link for the new foundation to the existing nave. The new spaces are depicted as extractions from the overall monolithic structure. A special stairway links the upper church to the lower. The focal point of the complex is the oratory: a taller room, the flanks of which house the burial vault.
The archaeological excavations are accessed via a landing, two alcoves in the monolithic volume support the exhibition of smaller artefacts. The entire design contains an intricate system as combinatorics of mathematical ratios, proportions and symbols. All rooms were built in rammed earth using the more than 1500 year old cemetery earth which was recovered during the excavations.
Design and Project Team: Andreas Cukrowicz, Anton Nachbaur Sturm, Michael Mayer
in cooperation with Wiesler Zwirlein Architekten, Stuttgart
Exhibition Design: merz merz gmbh & co. kg, Stuttgart
