Weekend Update 5/15

Boy, Howdy, Do We Need to Move Faster

Believe it or not, what you’re looking at is the 2025 ‘World Building of the Year’.

And, yup, it’s a church.

It’s located in San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Spain, and it’s called Holy Redeemer.

The structure was designated ‘World Building of the Year’ this past November during the World Architecture Festival in Miami. And, actually, it’s not the first honor that the building has received: in 2024, Holy Redeemer was also awarded the Frate Sole International Prize for Sacred Architecture.

The building is made almost entirely of huge slabs of concrete; it has no windows, and, if you’re like us, not only does this whole concrete mass make you think about the cover of a particularly famous album

you’re really wondering about the steel cages that appear in a couple of those photos.

Clearly, we need to get our new temple up before everyone completely forgets what beauty is.

However, when this structure in San Cristóbal de La Laguna was proclaimed ‘World Building of the Year,’ the announcement specifically mentioned “the intensity of the architecture.” And, we have to admit, there’s something to that. I mean, if you were offering worship services for Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya on Arrakis

it’s precisely the sort of facility that you would want.

Seriously, though: what is up with those cages?

But There is Good News

To begin with, the design for our new temple is not only beautiful, but it’s also cage-free.

And, yeah: Who knew that would become a thing in ecclesiastical design?

But what is even more heartening—in a very roundabout sort of way—is that, in all the interviews the architect for Holy Redeemer gave in connection with these awards, he called attention to the fact that the project “was financed in large part by small donations.”

So, if they can raise that kind of money in that way in San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Spain, we can do the same thing in Cedar Park, Texas.

And we have the advantage that our new temple is not going to look like it belongs on the set for Dune.

Please Help Us Move Faster

There are lots of ways you can do that.

The best way is to join us in offering the Akathist for a New Temple (PDF/video) each and every week.

You can also restack this post or bump your own subscription up to Paid.

You can buy Mom a Come See Something Beautiful hoodie to make up for Mother’s Day (yeah, we know; you forgot; but we’ve got your back).

You can commission an image of a beloved pet for the Calming Room of our new temple.

You can make a direct donation to our Building Fund.

And to show you how proud we are to be cage-free, we’re going to high-step on outta here with the Avett Brothers (and the word is, if you look closely, you can see Timothée Chalamet in the video).