[News] The universe of sounds in Churches by Alain Bretagnolle

On Thursday, April 4th, Alain Bretagnolle, associate architect and urban planner, participated in the Reflection Day on the Sound Heritage of Religious Buildings, held at Saint-Ignatius Church in Paris, as part of the General Assembly on Religious Heritage. He addressed the theme of the sound universe of churches through a presentation on the development of the Notre Dame de Créteil Cathedral, a magnificent building delivered by the agency in 2015. While sound in a church serves multiple functions—primarily liturgical, and secondly cultural with concerts in natural or amplified acoustics—it is indeed silence that best conveys the sacred nature of the space, inviting reflection and prayer. This underscores why the acoustics of churches are intrinsically linked to their architecture, volume, geometry, materials, moldings, and the light from their stained glass windows. The architect’s task is thus to design these various functions and atmospheres by organizing the synthesis of the technical and artistic elements intertwined within them.