Black Ark by Steffen Kunkel is the first study to analyse Gottfried Böhm's Neviges pilgrimage district in its entirety — treating it not as a singular church building but as a cohesive urban intervention cascading through an entire town.
About This Book
The Pilgrimage Church of Mary, Queen of Peace, in Neviges (North Rhine-Westphalia) has long been recognised as Pritzker Prize winner Gottfried Böhm's most significant work, and a defining example of 1960s sculptural architecture within the Catholic church-building tradition. Yet previous scholarship has focused exclusively on the church itself, overlooking the broader pilgrimage district Böhm conceived as its essential context. This publication corrects that omission — examining the entire complex, from the kindergarten and pilgrims' house through to the sacred building, as a single urban composition arranged across an ascending sequence of squares. The result is a new analytical foundation for understanding Böhm's ambition at Neviges and his engagement with twentieth-century religious architecture.
Key Features
- 384 pages of detailed architectural analysis examining the full Neviges pilgrimage district
- Written by Steffen Kunkel
- Case study: Pilgrimage Church of Mary, Queen of Peace, Neviges, North Rhine-Westphalia — including the kindergarten, pilgrims' house, and sacred building
- Published by Spector Books
What You'll Discover
- Why Böhm conceived the Neviges church not as a standalone monument but as the culmination of a cascading sequence of civic and sacred spaces
- How the pilgrimage district functions as an urban intervention — reshaping the fabric of an entire town rather than occupying a single site
- The place of Neviges within the broader history of twentieth-century Catholic church construction, and what made it an international sensation
- A detailed reading of the supporting programme — kindergarten, overnight accommodation, shared spaces — as integral to Böhm's architectural argument
About the Author
Steffen Kunkel is the author of this first comprehensive study of the Neviges pilgrimage district. [Details available upon request]
Specifications
- Format: Hardcover
- Pages: 384
- Dimensions: 23 × 33 cm
- Language: English
- ISBN: 9783959054423
- Publisher: Spector Books
- Publication Date: [Details available upon request]
Perfect For: Architects and historians with an interest in postwar European religious architecture, Böhm scholars, and researchers working on sculptural architecture, urban intervention, or twentieth-century Catholic building traditions.