Death and modernity ― some reflections on three mortuary chapels designed by Richard England

Abstract

Silence permeates the realm of the necropolis, as it is not only the city of the dead but also the city of silence. The elimination of the cacophony of human-generated noise induces an altered state of being whereby the visitor is beckoned to reflect upon various alternative states of being beyond death and the memory of loved ones. The representation of silence in architecture defies purely technical and prescriptive formulae. It can only be invoked by architects and artists imbued with sensitivity, spirituality and meditative introspection. Architect Richard England (b.1937) is a pioneer in introducing to Malta a modernist architectural language that was sensitively attuned and in synergy with the Island’s rich vernacular tradition. [Excerpt]