Historically, churches have been sanctuaries for community, often adorned with intricate textiles for ceremonial and liturgical purposes. Drawing on this tradition, Agapē reimagines these spaces by introducing expansive, flexible textile architecture that provides comfort, insulation, and versatility while preserving the beauty and significance of the architecture. These architectural textiles don’t tamper with but enhance the spiritual dimension of these sacred spaces.

The inaugural application of Agapē is a bespoke piece created for the Grote Kerk in Oosthuizen. This design reflects the church’s architecture, inverting the curve of its vaulted ceilings into a suspended, soft-shaped tent crafted from two-toned velvet velour fabric. The fabric’s liquid-like quality shimmers and flows, interacting with its surroundings making a strong connection to its environment. It mirrors the colours of the stone floor and reflects the hues of the ceiling, while extending upwards, connecting to the sky. The soft light filtering through the church’s historic windows imbues the installation with an ethereal glow. This interplay creates a tactile and visual connection to the aesthetic and historical qualities of the monument and does not interfere with the spatial qualities of the building, making the space once again come to life.

The suspended system creates a smaller, insulated compartment within the vast interior so that these compartments can be heated separately from the church, allowing it to remain open during winter months and enabling smaller groups of visitors to be accommodated comfortably.

The tent traveled to different locations to test its interchangeability and promote the launch of Agapē. It was featured at Dutch Design Week in Domus Dela, showcased as a décor piece during the Spirit of Amsterdam Festival at the Dominicus Church, and presented during a conference on the future of Dutch religious heritage at the Academiehuis in Zwolle. These installations showcase the potential for Agapē’s textile architecture to inspire reimagined uses for historic spaces that have lost their religious function.

This project is the result of a winning entry for the Sublime Beauty, Sublime Sustainability competition, organized by Atelier Rijksbouwmeester and RCE. Realized through a multidisciplinary team—including Hylkema Erfgoed, Coup transformed into Kathedraaldenkers, and De Groene Grachten.

Each Agapē piece is tailored to its context, respecting the architecture and community it serves. Whether in its bespoke form for the Grote Kerk or as a nomadic "tent" adaptable to other monumental spaces, Agapē offers a model for revitalizing heritage buildings in ways that honor their past while embracing a transformational future.

Belén is available for custom sized requests from sacral spaces and historical organisation to continue te re-use of holistic spaces with Agapē textile architecture.