The symbolic and the playful in the Igrejinha

Abstract

The Church of Our Lady of Fátima, known as the “Little Church of 308 Sul,” stands out for its spatial integration with the urban environment and its symbolic and functional relevance within the neighborhood unit idealized by Lúcio Costa. The articulation of the Little Church with the elements of the Neighborhood Unit — schools, commerce, green areas, and housing — expresses a fluid spatiality on a human scale, favoring collective use in living spaces. The presence of works by Athos Bulcão and Francisco Galeno reinforces the vocation of modern Brazilian architecture for the dialogue between art and built space. The analysis proposed here indicates that the Little Church functions not only as a place of worship, but also as an affective, symbolic, and identity landmark in the urban landscape.