LIGHT AND SPACE: Narrative Dialogue in Architecture

Light constitutes the fundamental carrier of meaning in semantic architecture. From the biblical act of creation, in which the separation of light from darkness gives a cosmological structure to reality, to contemporary sacred realizations, it performs both a material and a symbolic role. As an attribute of God – the One who illuminates the darkness—light becomes at once a witness and the creator of the sacred, imparting dynamism to the transformations of form and matter within the sacred space. This publication presents an interdisciplinary analysis of the role of natural light in contemporary sacred architecture. The authors—architects, researchers in architectural semiotics, and a theologian—trace the historical evolution of lighting solutions: from early Christian basilicas and the mysticism of Gothic stained-glass windows, through Renaissance dome lanterns and Baroque dramatic illumination, to the purist concepts of modernism and postmodern searches for architectural form. At the center of attention remains light as a key element of architectural narrative, which, depending on the epoch, shapes an atmosphere of contemplation, emphasizes liturgical orientation, and integrates sacred space with the rhythm of the cosmos.