Luz, sombra y color en espacios religiosos: Anteproyecto arquitectónico de un centro de retiro espiritual para la parroquia Nuestra Señora de Miraflores en Cuenca

Abstract

This study arises from the need for a Spiritual Retreat Center within the ecclesiastical community of Our Lady of Miraflores, a space to carry out spiritual, social, and cultural activities. The community, divided into zones, shares a space where patron saint festivals, sports tournaments, communal gatherings, and spiritual retreats, among other events, take place. However, this space lacks the necessary infrastructure to adequately meet the needs of the faithful and the entire parish community in general. To address this problem, a comprehensive report that synthesizes previous studies and historical and theoretical background on religious architecture has been written, along with a review of architectural strategies from similar projects. Through an analysis of three architectural references ―the Royal Monastery of Saint Catherine of Siena, the Church of the Light, and the Spiritual House by PLADIS Architects― the methodology used responds to a comprehensive approach that examines these cases from different dimensions, such as contextual, conceptual, formal, technical, and experiential. The aim is to extract significant insights for the design of a spiritual retreat center. Furthermore, Laura Gallardo's methodology was applied for site analysis, including movement and stillness, topography, climate, and urban and social environment. The results obtained demonstrate the need for a religious space that, through architectural design, responds to and integrates with the geographical context. Therefore, the creation of a Spiritual Retreat Center is proposed to enrich the pastoral mission of Miraflores through the architectural intervention.