Santa Maria Church　　Marco de Canavezes, Portugal

"One of Siza's masterpieces is undeniably the church in Marco de Canavezes, a space where he assigns a sacred dimension, as it were, to the light".
Marc Dubois

Santa Maria Church 被規劃為 Marco de Canavezes 地區的教區中心，並形成一個小型都市廣場。Siza提出的計劃由教堂扮演主角，且維持與其他鄰里建築物和諧的關係。

教堂的計劃是簡單長30公尺、寬16.5公尺、向上延伸16.5公尺的長方形，大門在教堂中央，祭壇在末端。 通過3公尺寬的中央走道，Siza設計了400張木椅面對祭壇，連其中一個大理石塊也設計了。長方形量體在教堂中殿的一邊，包含側向延伸的祭壇，以及聖器室、告解室。這些空間由樓梯連接。

自然光線被裁切穿過三個開口，進入教堂內被刻意彎曲的西北向牆壁。水平天花板帶過一個低的開口，沿著外型構築於鄰近山型的東南向牆壁。然後光以兩個輕軸帶的方式帶入祭壇。

建材的使用是Siza建築的特點：內外牆和天花板加強粉刷灰泥，部分外披瓦片或大理石藉以防水。地板使用木材、花崗岩和大理石；屋頂由鋅板覆蓋。 使用地方特有的建築技術以減少費用，Siza關注每個細節。

最後，必須強調許多關於Santa Maria Church的敘述，無法取代實際體驗建築空間時的震撼。

The Santa Maria Church in Marco de Canavezes is part of an overall complex that, together with a planned Parish Center, will form a small urban square.

It was the parish priest Father Nuno Higino’s personal decision to call on Siza, and to invest himself fully in this very ambitious project.

The proposed plan by Alvaro Siza, with the church playing a central role, will ensure that the other buildings will be in concordance with the pre-existing scale of the neighbourhood.

You access the raised platform of the church yard via a ramp from the east or three broad flights of steps from the West; the two landings correspond to the layout of the city streets.

There is a direct access to the Chapel of Rest from from adjacent land which is the property of the Santa Casa da Misericordia.

The facade (17.5 x 17.5 square meter ) is in three sections with two projecting towers. The 10 meter high temporary grey steel doors will eventually be replaced by bronze doors.

One of the projecting towers in the facade contain the Baptistery that, clad entirely in locally made tiles, rises to the full height of the tower. Flooded with light, the simple stone font, placed in the center, can be viewed through a window in the tower.

In the other tower you enter through one of two large glass panels. The glass panels in the towers symbolise the “transparency” of the church.

This entrance lobby, used during the winter months, also contain the stairway to the Organ and bells.

The plan of the church is a simple 30 meter long, 16.5 meter wide and 16,5 meter high rectangle with the main entrance at the South West end of the nave and the altar at the other end.

A 3 meter wide central aisle, with 400 wooden chairs designed by Siza on either side leads to the altar; a solid marble block also designed by Siza.

A rectangular volume on one side of the nave contains the lateral extension of the altar, the sacristy, registry, and confessional rooms. A stairway and elevator connect these spaces to the chapel below.

Natural light enters the church through three large openings cut into the curved form of the deepened north-west wall at ceiling level and through a low horizontal opening along the south-east wall that frame a view of the neighbouring mountains.

Two light shafts bring in the light the behind the altar and also admits light into the mortuary chapel below.

The materials are typical of Siza with the external walls of whitewashed reinforced concrete, internal walls and ceilings of stucco; with tiles or marble where there is running water. The floors are of wood, granite and marble. The roof is of zinc sheeting. Local construction techniques were used to reduce costs.

Siza’s signature is on every detail.

Having read many articles about the Santa Maria Church I was once again reminded that no graphic representation can adequately substitu.

Project:
Parochial Centre of Marco de Canavezes, near Porto

Stage One: 1990-1996

The program for Santa Maria Church is distributed amongst three two-storey buildings. A church and mortuary chapel, an auditorium and Sunday-school and a house for the parish priest.

Total Site: 5470 square meters
Total area to be constructed: 3477 square meters
Church: 732 square meters
Chapel of Rest: 452 square meters
Vestibule: 240 square meters

Architects
Alvaro Siza with Architect Rolando Torgo
Collaboration:
Architect: Edite Rosa
Architecture students:
Helena Torgo
Tiago Falcao

Engineering:
Concrete structures: Eng. Joao Maria Sobreira,
Joao Araujo Sobreira
Jorge Silva
Arch. Humberto Vieira
Electricity:
Eng. Raul Serafim Silva
Jose Sousa Guedes.
Water installation:
Eng. Ines Sobreira
Mechanics:
Eng. Alfredo Costa Pereira