Umberto Eco once claimed that one could summarise (Western) art history by analysing a single painting in depth – he was thinking of Titian’s *Venus of Urbino*. The ambitions of Pastoor van Arskerk in The Hague – a timeless sacred space designed by Aldo van Eyck, a study by Francis Strauven – do not go that far. Nevertheless, the exceptionally comprehensive description of this building, on which Van Eyck worked from October 1963 until the end of 1969, provides a sharp insight into Van Eyck’s mindset and into the era in which this design was conceived.

Strauven opens with the story of a non-believing architect who was nevertheless commissioned to design a Catholic church in a suburb of The Hague, near Kijkduin beach. At the time, Van Eyck was also working on the design of a Protestant church in Driebergen. That ‘Wheels of Heaven’ was never built, but attracted far more attention than the church in The Hague. Strauven argues that, despite superficial similarities, the church in The Hague has its own significance and importance.

He demonstrates this point with great verve in the second, highly engaging, section of the book. Through highly detailed yet vivid descriptions, consistently supplemented with photographs, he takes the reader on a guided tour of the building. Step by step, you discover how Van Eyck linked typological innovation to a deep understanding of the Catholic experience. This was at a turning point. The Second Vatican Council reoriented church doctrine towards early Christian beliefs. In practical terms, from then on the Mass was no longer celebrated in Latin but in the vernacular; greater attention was paid to the word, and the priest now addressed the congregation directly. Van Eyck must have intuitively grasped what was at stake here.

At the same time, he demonstrated a profound knowledge of church architecture in Europe. Yet his design reworks the classical layout of a church with a narthex, a nave, a transept and a chancel with an altar. Seen from the outside, his church is a remarkably enclosed volume, over 40 m long and 27.5 m wide. Just past the centre of its long façade, a narrow volume rises high above the main structure. At the north-western end, there is a second, lower elevation. It is only once inside that you realise that this first elevation marks a path through the building, with low, crypt-like spaces to its right and left. To the right is the church hall, to the left a community hall.

This path through the building, which Strauven calls a ‘via sacra’, is marked by circular chapels. It resembles the central nave of a classical church, but differs in that it does not lead towards, but rather alongside, the altar. It is a path from the entrance to the exit, passing by places of devotion. Thanks to this layout, worshippers and the priest follow the same path to the church hall. The light in these spaces is remarkable: it streams in from above, through giant cylinders perched atop the roof’s supporting beams. Equally remarkable is the subtle interplay of floor levels and sightlines. It creates a space that allows the gaze to wander endlessly, yet unambiguously invites contemplation.

Strauven then demonstrates, through a detailed examination of the countless preliminary designs, how Van Eyck continually refined this design, from the initial sketches to the final working drawings. He also added 3D simulations of the initial preliminary designs to the original sketches. These clearly demonstrate how the quality of the design continued to improve. Finally, he adds a history of the building’s reception. It turns out that the building was only just saved following the dramatic decline of the Catholic community in The Hague. Fortunately so, for Strauven has demonstrated here that this building more than deserves the title of heritage.

The book launch will take place on 28 May at 12 noon in the church itself (Aaltje Noordewierstraat 6, 2551 GA The Hague). The book will be presented by the author, the Belgian architectural historian Francis Strauven, who previously published a comprehensive monograph on the work and ideas of Aldo van Eyck.

Pastoor van Arskerk The Hague – a timeless sacred space designed by Aldo van Eyck, Francis Strauven, 2022. Published by ACP Brussels and the Van Eyck Foundation, Loenen aan de Vecht. ISBN 9789464664607. Recommended retail price €29.80