The construction of this Romanian Orthodox Church in Barcelona necessitated the drafting of a Special Urban Plan.

The complexity of the site—a plot situated between two passageways, with a street frontage on Carrer Capella and a corner on Carrer del Trinxant—demanded a rigorous analysis to develop the new site layout. This process carefully considered both the Catalan tradition of building Barcelona’s passatges (pedestrian alleyways) and the architectural tradition specific to Romanian churches.

In the proposed layout, the Church is sited to ensure high visibility while allowing for movement around its perimeter, a requirement for the processions of Orthodox worship. The scheme also demonstrates how the ecclesiastical complex is developed in accordance with Catalan construction tradition, bookending the space between the two passageways with an administrative building clad in exposed brickwork.

The two volumes are connected at basement level, which houses a large underground space containing the crypt or the complex’s multi-purpose hall.

The Plan was approved by Barcelona City Council following the challenges inherent in establishing a non-Catholic place of worship; however, the sound siting and quality of the proposal facilitated its processing.

Regarding the project details, the extensive research undertaken by Lluís and Elena merits special mention, as does the collaboration of Robert Brufau in resolving the structural complexity. As is often the case with projects of this nature, which tend to be protracted, the building is currently still under construction. Fortunately, we take great pride in this intervention, which was the subject of an article in the newspaper El País by Xavier Monteys.