In the west of Stuttgart, on a busy street characterized by traffic and noise, St Fidelis offers respite and contemplative quietness. Built in 1924/1925, the Catholic church was originally modelled on Italian basilicas and features a stylish combination of historicism and modernism. In response to more and more people leaving the church, while more and more people are seeking spirituality, schleicher.ragaller architekten designed an updated space for church music and spirituality, which opened its doors in December 2019.
The sense upon entering the church is that everything is superfluous. The space is dominated by a three-nave church with continuous Travertine floors and an unobtrusive wooden coffered ceiling that creates a homogenous surface.
Traditional elements are incorporated throughout. Stained-glass windows by Georg Meistermann take their place alongside his images of the Stations of the Cross in the aisles. Stuttgart artist Martin Bruno Schmid developed liturgical elements out of a single limestone monolith and inspired by Leo von Klenze, figures of saints and votive candles are positioned on stone pedestals in concave niches.
Community spirit becomes manifest with the new seating arrangement, the ambo and altar producing a longitudinal axis in the central nave with the faithful sitting facing each other during the service.
Finally, the architects integrated a room of silence into the chancel. Illuminated from above, the wooden ‘inside chancel’ is the heart of the spiritual centre. With six portal doors, this place of meditation can be opened up to the church hall, while the street traffic and noise remain outside.
