Organized by the Frate Sole Foundation and strongly supported by Master Costantino Ruggeri—the great Franciscan friar who passed away in 2007 and is universally recognized as the father of contemporary sacred architecture—the International Prize for Sacred Architecture is dedicated to newly constructed religious buildings around the world. Now widely referred to as the “Oscar of sacred architecture,” the prize has previously been awarded to internationally acclaimed architects such as the Japanese master Tadao Ando, who won the inaugural edition in 1996. In 2000, the prize was awarded to Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza, and in 2004 to American architect Richard Meier. In 2008, the recognition went to British architect John Pawson for the design and realization of the Novy Dvur Monastery in the Czech Republic—a structure of great austerity, silent yet eloquent, deeply rooted in the monastic traditions of the oldest prayer communities of the European continent. This volume presents the fifth edition of the International Prize for Sacred Architecture, awarded to Chilean architect Cristián Undurraga for his "Capilla del Retiro" in Auco, Chile. In addition to Undurraga, two other projects received honors: Carrilho da Graça, with the Church of Santo António; and the Italian firm X2 Architettura, which placed third with the new liturgical hall of the Church of San Floriano in Reggio Emilia.