The “Capela do Monte” is a holiday retreat in the Algarve region located on Monte de Charneca  (in Barão de São João, Portugal) and created by Álvaro Joaquim Melo Siza Vieira. Its aesthetic is characterized by minimal and clean lines, highlighted by the ethereal white color of the building which rests its foundations on the ground rust colored, typical of the South of Portugal.

The chapel was designed to be a place to rediscover inner peace and has the peculiarity of running without electricity, heat or water. The real protagonist of the structure is the light and its beams, which are carved and filtered by the only window present inside: the result is incredibly suggestive. The interiors are composed of a pure white, warmed by wood and enriched by tiled frescoes depicting scenes from the life of Jesus, designed by Siza and produced by Viuva Lamego.

This is a place to live intensely in order to find yourself or simply to be able to enjoy a moment of relaxation, far from everything: in addition to the chapel, Siza is developing residential buildings and other facilities for the complex, the project should be completed in its entirety in 2021, in the meantime you can see his work on his website.