3 Religion worship under one roof
The House Of One: Berlin architect builds world's first church, mosque and synagogue under one roof
- Synagogue, church and mosque, the 'House Of One', to be built in Berlin
- Has central chamber that leads to separate spaces for each faith
- Backed by religious leaders, £35m project will be funded by donations
Muslims, Jews and Christians will worship under one roof as an architect sets out to make religious history.
The so-called House Of One will be a multipurpose synagogue, church and mosque set in the heart of Berlin.
Incredibly, the move has been met with unerring support from rabbis, imams and priests.
Carefully designed: Each chamber will cater to the faith's specific requirements, with a foot bath and two levels in the mosque, an organ in the church, and two levels in the synagogue
The £35m building, being paid for by donations, is set to be completed in 2018.
Last week, three religious leaders met to give their blessing to the project - and the first brick was ceremonially presented.
It was the culmination of five years of work, after archaeologists unearthed the city's first ever church - Petrikirche - which dates back to 1350.
'We decided we needed to use the space to develop a sign of peace and tolerance, rather than another old empty church,' House Of One spokesman Anna Poeschel told MailOnline.
'Petrikirche was the start of Berlin, which has now grown into a multicultural, multi-faith city. A lot has happened over the centuries, this is a sign of peace and tolerance.'
Celebrations: German pastor Gregor Hohberg (left), Israeli rabbi Tovia Ben-Chorin (centre) and German-Turkish imam Kadir Sanci pictured last week holding the first three bricks of the £35m building's foundation
Groundbreaking: German architect Wilfried Kuehn holds a model of his design for the House Of One, a multi-faith prayer building to be set in the heart of Berlin that combines a synagogue, church and mosque
The building, designed by architect Wilfried Kuehn in a competition created for the project, will provide one of the only inner-city places of worship for Berlin's Muslims, with most mosques located on the outskirts.
Despite some voices of criticism, Ms Poeschel said the overwhelming reaction from all faiths has been welcoming.
'We have not always had as many Muslims in Berlin as in London. And this is the place where the Second World War started, with the persecution of Jews. This is a perfect symbol of peace.
'You hear so much these days of religions coming together in violence and terrorism so this is a different message.'
Each of the three areas in the House will be the same size, but of a different shape, Mr Kuehn points out.
There will be a central meeting place, with doors leading off into spaces for each faith.
In the mosque and synagogue there will be two levels to cater for the traditional gender divide. There will also be space to wash feet in the mosque.
Symbolic: Mr Kuehn, the religious leaders, and German actor Wolfgang Bahro (left), who is backing the move, pose at the start of the project, due to finish in 2018
The church will have just one floor, and will house an organ.
With different days of worship, congestion will be manageable.
Muslims attend mosque on Fridays, while Jews congregate on Saturdays and Christians pray on Sundays.
While each have different architectural requirements, architect Wilfried Kuehn insists they are not as different as many think.
For example, it has not always been customary for mosques to have a minaret - spire.
And according to ancient Christian designs, churches do not need a tower.
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THIS CAN ONLY HAPPEN WHEN THE EXTREMISTS, PERKASA, ISMA, THAT RE-BORN MALAY-tee, NORDIN, HASSAN ALI ETC JUMP DOWN FROM PETRONAS TWIN TOWER.
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