Esteras Perrote turns a former crypt into San Jerónimo Chapel

In Córdoba, Argentina, Esteras Perrote transforms an existing crypt into a 40-square-metre chapel shaped by an interior void, a roof oculus and a quiet passage between the street and a small public square.

San Jerónimo Chapel began with a compact but demanding brief: recover an existing crypt and turn it into a place for gathering and reflection. Rather than replace the original structure, Esteras Perrote preserved its essential fabric and emptied the interior, allowing the inherited enclosure to become a new spatial framework.

The project is organised as a threshold. The chapel establishes a direct connection between the street and the adjacent square, turning movement through the building into a gradual transition from the everyday to a quieter, more contemplative realm. Its restrained white volume is defined by pure lines and a deliberately modest presence.

Inside, the former crypt becomes a double-height void. Smooth white surfaces receive and diffuse natural light, while carefully positioned openings limit distraction and sharpen the perception of time. A large circular oculus cuts through the roof, admitting sunlight throughout the day and framing a direct view of the sky.

The void is not treated as absence, but as the chapel’s principal material. It holds the people who enter, provides space for silence and gives the small building a sense of generosity beyond its physical dimensions.

The surrounding landscape enters through large openings that frame an established aguaribay tree. Sunlight filtered through its foliage produces shifting patterns across the white walls, placing architecture and nature in continuous dialogue. The contrast between the pale chapel and the tree’s green canopy makes the exterior composition equally direct.

Completed in 2023, the chapel brings past and present together through a careful economy of means. Restoration, subtraction and precise natural light turn a small inherited structure into a sacred space for memory, gathering and pause.

Drawings

Project credits

Project: San Jerónimo Chapel
Architecture: Esteras Perrote · Instagram
Construction: Esteras Perrote
Location: Córdoba, Argentina
Project year: 2022
Completion: 2023
Building type: Religious
Area: 40 m²
Client: Private
Photography: Andrés Domínguez · Instagram