2002

St. Theresia Catholic Church, Zurich

Simplicity in the spirit of the architect and the church’s patron saint

In renovating this 1932 building, I was assigned with designing the interior with a team of artists and architects. The building by Fritz Metzger in the spirit of the Bauhaus responds in its simplicity to the mindset of Theresia of Lisieux. So later additions were removed and the original clarity restored. In this spirit, I chose white terrazzo for the altars, pulpit, and baptismal font. The form of the main altar recalls inviting arms or wings, like the paintings on the rear of the sanctuary. A longing for heaven on earth was symbolized in the pictures of Christoph Hänsli and Christoph Wachter. The same is true of the carpet that I designed for the meditation area. 

Architecture renovation: Martin Schneider and Thomas Twerenbold, Zürich
Art direction: Christoph Hänsli, Zürich
Photo: Heinrich Helfenstein, gta Archiv ETH Zürich