Starting from the need of building a larger monastery in the monastic settlement of "Șinca Veche", because the former one burnt down from the foundations, from the need for cultural functions for the locals, the monks, the tourists, the resurrection of craftsmanship, but most importantly from the need to put the grotto into value, I proposed in the diploma project about a cultural center that includes, as main functions, a monastery, workshops, exhibition halls, and a museum.
The proposed volumetry is semi-buried, taking over the idea of underground space, but also for architectural reasons. The church of the monastery is located in the same direction as the cave grotto, creating the so-called "axis of faith". Functions provide not only the needs of an Orthodox monastery, but also create the premises of a sustainable economy that can also produce beneficial effects in an external environment. Thus, craft workshops can become spaces where, in addition to production locals can learn from monks and vice versa. The underground museum promotes the history of this area. The museum continues the form of the cave, but also the atmosphere of the place. The answer to the concept offers prosperity, relying on the values of tradition, the environment and the faith of the place.
