English
Church of the Blessed Heart of Jesus (Macúti)
Beira, Sofala, Mozambique
Religious Architecture
A 1961 project by architect Bernardino Carlos Vareta Ramalhete (b. 1921), the church is located in the city of Beira, between the coastal road and the sea. It is composed of two autonomous structures: the belfry, a see-through concrete grid, and the body of the church, a structure of metal pillars supporting a curved zinc roof covering and extending beyond the nave, built in exposed concrete, solid brick, wood, and glass. It shows formal influences of the English neo-brutalism and the Italian liberty, namely in the expressivity of the structure and the natural appearance of the materials. The communitarian concepts embraced by liturgical renewal movements of the post-war era are shown in the disposition of its elements within a large single area which houses both assembly and altar. It was inaugurated in June 1964 on the occasion of the celebrations of the 1st Centenary of the Apostolate for Prayer.
