A Cistercian Monastery
 

At the proceedings of the Second Vatican Council (1963 – 1965), landmark decisions called for the “inculturation” of the Roman Catholic faith – an attempt to have the faith made more accessible within the context of culture and society. This led to changes in monastic life for the individual monk and his cloistered community. This design explores the repercussions of Vatican II on the time-honored typology of a medieval Cistercian monastery.

A community of twenty-four Cistercian monks located on a strip of land between the Merrimac River and the canals servicing the now-abandoned mills in the town of Lowell is the vehicle used to consider some of the architectural possibilities to reflect the evolution of Cistercian Monasticism.

Unbuilt
 

Location:
Lowell, Massachusetts