Chapel of the Transfiguration of the Lord, Miljana, Poljana Sutlanska

Within 12 to 13 years, the project of the Chapel in Miljana has made its way from Zorkovac to Miljana, although looking at the relationship with regard to the context, nature and sacredness, we can say that it travelled from Leça da Palmeira and Marco de Canaveses, resulting in yet another of Alvaro Siza’s subtle works

The chapel was blessed in August 2021, but according to man who came up with the idea of recruiting Siza – Andrija Rusan – everything started about 12 to 13 years before that.

The project was initially supposed to be executed next to Zorkovac Manor in the settlement of the same name on the Kupa/Kolpa River.

Andrija Rusan, who worked on the renovation of manorial projects, put forward the name of Alvaro Siza to the investor, Dragutin Kamenski, for the construction of the chapel, with whom he had friendly contacts through the Croatian architectural magazine Oris and the Days of Oris festival, which have been a recognisable part of the world of architecture for many years.

Siza accepted the invitation, came to Zagreb and spent time in Zorkovac to get a “feel” for the location. For him, this meant establishing an authorial, individual relationship with the site, and turning it into a project.

On his next visit to Zagreb, the Karas Gallery hosted an exhibition on the Zorkovac Chapel project, which was opened by Kenneth Frampton. Frampton, a generational ally of Siza’s, is one of the most famous architecture critics and historians, and is very familiar with his work. Indeed, Siza’s and Frampton’s long-standing collaboration has been documented through a series of interviews, panels, books and publications.

---

To read the whole article, please order the copy of the magazine HERE.