This proposal for a small chapel in the Buçaco National Forest is conceived as a contemporary response to the spiritual and historical legacy of the Convento de Santa Cruz do Buçaco. The design is anchored by two intersecting axes: the first follows an existing path that cuts through the forest—a route historically used by monks and pilgrims for worship—while the second is oriented due east, aligning with Christian liturgical tradition and directly addressing the convent as a sacred landmark.

The chapel’s form emerges from the dynamic collision and folding of these axes, expressed through a sculptural A-frame structure. The walls tilt and intersect, creating a play of light, shadow, and spatial tension that guides visitors through the site. The main path is met by a tall, perpendicular wall that acts as both threshold and marker. An opening in this wall allows passage, while a subtle fold to the right carves out the chapel’s entrance, inviting visitors into the sacred interior.

Inside, the worship hall gently descends below ground level, intensifying the sense of retreat and contemplation. At the culmination of this descent, a large triangular window—framed to evoke the form of a cross without explicit iconography—rises just above the earth, framing the forest beyond and connecting the worshipper to both nature and the divine. This window becomes the focal point of the space, suffusing it with natural light and reinforcing the chapel’s orientation toward both the east and the convent.

The result is a chapel that mediates between history and modernity, path and place, earth and sky—offering a powerful architectural dialogue with the Buçaco Forest’s religious landscape.