Conclusion Despite the critiques and assessments that minimalism within sacred interiors have received, this architectural typology has continually been acknowledged by academics as a highly significant and influential space. This dissertation provided a contextual framework of sacred interiors, as well as an analysis of three contemporary case studies, which synthesised how historical and contemporary influences have impacted the evolution of minimalism within sacred interiors.
The first chapter of this dissertation established a contextual framework that illustrated the impact historical influences had on the development and interpretation of minimalism within sacred interiors. The chapter began by introducing concepts that explored how minimalism could be seen before its conception in contemporary society. The first concept that was introduced was monasticism and a brief overview of this was provided which drew parallels between this notion and living a minimalist life. This was explored further through the lens of Saint Anthony the Great, Saint Basil the Great and Paul of Thebes, who were the first known monks to depart from their common routine in order to live an ascetic life, which encompassed similar traits to living as a minimalist. The following concept that was introduced was the notion of iconoclasm which substantiated how this rebuke of religious symbols had similarities to traits of minimalism to emphasise how this historical influence had an impact on the conception of minimalism within contemporary society. The discussion then shifted to explore concepts of aestheticism and asceticism which emphasised how the shift from large amounts of ornamentation to the complete strip of ornamentation could be interpreted as a trait of minimalism. Ultimately, this first chapter explored how historical influences such as monasticism, iconoclasm and living an ascetic life could be seen to have parallels with minimalism, emphasising how these influences contributed to the evolution of minimalism within contemporary sacred interiors.
Chapter two discussed various theories in relation to minimalism within contemporary sacred interiors to further support the case study analysis in chapter three. Minimalism was defined in this chapter, and together with the affirmed historical framework provided in chapter one, explored the evolution of minimalism within contemporary sacred interiors. An analysis that the impact post-war modernism had on the interpretation of minimalism within the twentieth century was also conducted. A series of case studies were briefly analysed, such as Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye, which provided a framework that emphasised that minimalism, as a product of post-war modernism, arose during this period as a rebuke against the rise of mass-consumption and accumulation of materialistic possessions. The Grundtvig Church in Demark was also analysed which illustrated how the architects, implemented architectural conventions with minimalist traits to eradicate the concept of minimalism as an art movement. A brief 37
