With Uruguay’s latest UNESCO World Heritage site: the Cristo Obrero Church in Atlántida designed by engineer Eladio Dieste, also known as ‘the master of brick’., the country now has 3 UNESCO heritae sites:
- Old town Colonia del Sacramento (designated 1995)
- The Anglo in Fray Bentos—a former meatpacking plant—an eerily untouched example of the world’s industrial heritage (2015)
- Cristo Obrero Church in Atlantida (2021).
The Cristo Obrero church was built between 1958 and 1960 and is a dramatic example of the work of Eladio Dieste (1917-2000). It is built entirely of brick and does not have a single supporting pillar. Instead the weight is distributed by curved vaults and arches which seem to defy gravity.
The church was awarded heritage status due to its technical innovation and its modern reinterpretation of a type of traditional building.The church is “a marvel of modern architecture. Inside, light enters the space only through skylights, onyx on the doors, and the coloured fixtures placed along the lateral walls.”
Source: El pais, UNESCO
