Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The Llorenç Cerdá Bisbal statue
Llorenç Cerdá Bisbal Statue
The pastries at Lagniappe Bakehouse are worth waking up for.
Lagniappe Bakehouse
The Inglis Bridge was meant to be deployed quickly.
Inglis Bridge
Clove Furnace
Loading...
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
You could probably take some of that stuff out.
Dear Atlas: How Do I Pack Light for a Long Trip?
Ripples in the land are remnants of the field walls that once held rows of native sugarcane and sweet potatoes.
Unearthing the Mysteries of Hawai'i's Ancient Agriculture
Petrified Forest National Park.
Beware the Legends Behind These National Park Souvenirs
For Aguilar-Carrasco, nature is a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of all life.
How Can National Parks Be Made Accessible to All? AO Wants to Know.

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Belgium Borgloon Reading Between The Lines

Reading Between The Lines

Part modern art project, part traditional chapel, this see-through church is only substantial from the right angle.

Borgloon, Belgium

Added By
Eric Grundhauser
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Reading Between The Lines   準建築人手札網站 Forgemind ArchiMedia on Flickr
Reading Between The Lines   準建築人手札網站 Forgemind ArchiMedia on Flickr
Reading Between The Lines   準建築人手札網站 Forgemind ArchiMedia on Flickr
Reading Between The Lines   準建築人手札網站 Forgemind ArchiMedia on Flickr
  Traveling / Atlas Obscura User
  Traveling / Atlas Obscura User
  Traveling / Atlas Obscura User
Front view of the “Church”   Mathias Van de Velde / Atlas Obscura User
  andygreenley / Atlas Obscura User
The “Church” and it’s surroundings   Mathias Van de Velde / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

From inside the Gijs Van Vaerenbergh-designed art church known as Reading Between The Lines, the natural sunlight hits the ground in a noirish checkerboard, belying the construction's almost completely insubstantial walls. However, from any other angle, the building seems like a solid little chapel. 

Basing their design on the traditionally built local chapel in Limburg, Belgium, the architectural duo created their church in 2011 in conjunction with the art museum Z33. The single-steepled house of worship is set atop a concrete foundation on which 100 layers of stacked steel forms create the semi-transparent walls. Each layer is separated from another by over 2,000 squat steel columns. The net effect of the odd metal construction is that when viewed directly from any side of the church, its walls appear to be roughly see-through. However if the viewer sees walls from a higher or lower angle, the structure is suddenly solid. All said, the welded wonder weighs over 30 tons. 

Effectively a giant optical illusion, Reading Between The Lines serves as not only a statement about the permanence of architecture but also the relative sturdiness of church institutions themselves by creating a quiet place of reflection where one is at once removed from and exposed to the outside world. 

Related Tags

Churches Art Architectural Oddities Architecture Sacred Spaces

Community Contributors

Added By

EricGrundhauser

Edited By

hrnick, Mike Portanova, Cara Giaimo, MagnumPI...

  • hrnick
  • Mike Portanova
  • Cara Giaimo
  • MagnumPI
  • Mathias Van de Velde
  • Traveling
  • flaviacarvalhotm
  • andygreenley

Published

December 22, 2015

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.architravel.com/architravel/building/reading-between-the-lines/
  • http://architecturelab.net/see-through-church-limburgbelgium-by-gijs-van-vaerenbergh/
  • http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/09/belgian-architects-craft-_n_956371.html
  • http://www.architectmagazine.com/metal/detail-reading-between-the-lines-for-a-church-mad.aspx
  • http://www.dezeen.com/2011/09/09/reading-between-the-lines-by-gijs-van-vaerenbergh/
  • Reading-Between-the-Lines-(Doorkijkkerk)
  • https://app.livethe.world/activities/Reading-Between-the-Lines-Doorkijkkerk
Reading Between The Lines
Unnamed Road
Borgloon, 3840
Belgium
50.794168, 5.351768
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Castle Nieuwenhoven

Sint-Truiden, Belgium

miles away

Cycling Through Water

Genk, Belgium

miles away

Les Cinq Tombes (The Five Graves)

Geer, Belgium

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Belgium

Belgium

Europe

Places 204
Stories 12

Nearby Places

Castle Nieuwenhoven

Sint-Truiden, Belgium

miles away

Cycling Through Water

Genk, Belgium

miles away

Les Cinq Tombes (The Five Graves)

Geer, Belgium

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Belgium

Belgium

Europe

Places 204
Stories 12

Related Places

  • Chiesa della Beata Vergine del Soccorso detta “La Rotonda”

    Rovigo, Italy

    La Rotonda

    A rare example of an octagonal Catholic church.

  • The stained glass.

    Edinburgh, Scotland

    Magdalen Chapel

    The 16th-century church has the only stained glass windows that survived the Scottish Reformation intact.

  • Washington, D.C.

    Culture House

    A historic neighborhood church is reborn as a psychedelic arts collective.

  • The Indecent Little Man of St James Church

    Brno, Czechia

    The Indecent Little Man on the Church of St. James

    A cheeky architectural easter egg.

  • Ascoli Piceno, Italy

    Basilica di San Frances Musical Pillars

    These pillars at the main entrance of this church are actually a hidden musical instrument.

  • Drumheller, Alberta

    The Little Church

    A six-person chapel in the middle of Alberta's badlands.

  • Front view.

    Nafplio, Greece

    Church of Agioi Pantes

    A staircase made of gravestones leads up to this church built into a giant rock.

  • Nave of the church.

    Paris, France

    Notre-Dame-de-Lorette

    Claude Monet was baptized in this lavishly ornate Paris church.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.