Any microcosm, any inhabited region possesses what we could call a "Center", meaning a sacred place par excellence.
The Semang people say that once upon a time a tree trunk connected the top of the Cosmic Mountain, the Center of the World, with Heaven. It is an allusion to an extremely widespread mythic theme: once upon a time, communication with Heaven and connections with divinity were easy and "natural";
The capital of the perfect Chinese sovereign was near the miraculous Tree "Exalted Wood", Jian-mu, where the three cosmic zones meet: Heaven, Earth and Hell. All these cities, temples or palaces, considered Centers of the World, are in fact replicas multiplied at will of an archaic image: the Cosmic Mountain. The World Tree or Central Pillar that supports the cosmic levels.
In other words, all sacred trees are considered to be in the Center of the World, and all ritual trees or pillars, consecrated before or during some religious ceremony, are considered to be magically projected into the Center of the World.
More on Casa Cava in Matera:
https://www.youtradeweb.com/aldes-per-lauditorium-casa-cava-di-matera/
https://www.materawelcome.it/en/luogo/casa-cava/
https://divisare.com/projects/312011-renato-lamacchia-pierangelo-laterza-casa-cava
https://www.archilovers.com/projects/80092/casa-cava-matera.html
Dan Stubbergard - Architects, not Architecture. event
https://www.architectsnotarchitecture.com/halloffame/dan-stubbergaard/
More on Bruder Klaus Field Chapel by Peter Zumthor
https://chadschwartz.com/2020/05/12/bruder-klaus-field-chapel-peter-zumthor/
https://en.wikiarquitectura.com/building/bruder-klaus-field-chapel/
Danish Architecture Center (Dansk Arkitektur Center) article on Grundtvigs Church:
https://dac.dk/en/knowledgebase/architecture/grundtvigs-kirke-2/
More on the Grundtvigs Church:
https://www.modscape.com.au/blog/one-brick-to-rule-them-all/
https://berloga-workshop.com/blog/1078-grundtvigs-church-copenhagen.html
The symbolism of the "Center" - the Cosmic Tree
Any microcosm, any inhabited region possesses what we could call a "Center", meaning a sacred place par excellence.
The Semang people say that once upon a time a tree trunk connected the top of the Cosmic Mountain, the Center of the World, with Heaven. It is an allusion to an extremely widespread mythic theme: once upon a time, communication with Heaven and connections with divinity were easy and "natural";
The capital of the perfect Chinese sovereign was near the miraculous Tree "Exalted Wood", Jian-mu, where the three cosmic zones meet: Heaven, Earth and Hell. All these cities, temples or palaces, considered Centers of the World, are in fact replicas multiplied at will of an archaic image: the Cosmic Mountain. The World Tree or Central Pillar that supports the cosmic levels.
In other words, all sacred trees are considered to be in the Center of the World, and all ritual trees or pillars, consecrated before or during some religious ceremony, are considered to be magically projected into the Center of the World.
https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691020686/images-and-symbols
Princeton University Press