THE CHURCH OF THE JOYFUL MESSAGE
Austrian edition
The Book “THE CHURCH OF THE JOYFUL MESSAGE” is a monograph on the homonymous architectural work of Warlamis in the city of Waidhofen, Lower Austria.
In 1996, the Evangelical community of this small town asked Warlamis, who lived in the nearby city of Schrems, for his help in order to acquire a church. Warlamis responded immediately and even disinterestedly. As an Orthodox Christian, he began a creative dialogue with them in order to be able to realize this project, utilizing his Orthodox know-how.
Studying and discussing with people to learn about their needs and desires, he proceeded with the design of the Temple. The members of the evangelical community were thrilled when they saw Warlamis’s plans and in 2004 the construction was completed and the inauguration of this beautiful church took place with great splendor.
The book was written in German. It was translated into Greek in 2007 and published by the Vergina Art Center, because it was one of the few documents of Warlamis’ architectural design.
he himself writes…
The design, the shaping of a church is one of the greatest challenges for an architect, because the design of a church is first and foremost an act of faith and not an act of architecture or intellectual conception. A temple is a house of God and this requires other scales, a sensitive aesthetic, which should not only satisfy people, but should also please God. And this again requires an inner attitude, a great concentration and a strict ascetic life…
