Abstract
The background of this study was the fact that the religious spaces require sacred space devices in addition to aesthetic aspects. This study began with the definition that 'philosophical phenomenology provides one of the theoretical frameworks for religious phenomenology'. Seeing that 'philosophical phenomenology has limitations in drawing out the characteristics, this study attempted to study religious spaces through the method of specialized and refined religious phenomenology for the religious spaces alone. The purpose of this study was to understand the characteristics of religious spaces and the fact that the religious spaces are divided into 'profane' domains and 'sacred' ones and to analyze the characteristics of space and light in terms of religious phenomenology through Dutch religious architect Dom Hans van der Laan's architectural projects of monasteries. The study method was to present the relationship between space and light in terms of religious phenomenology and to summarize Van der Laan's interpretational method of the religious spaces through the architect's life and architectural philosophy.The conclusion of this study was that Dom Hans van der Laan's entire works were judged to have sufficient research value in studying the religious spaces as they were all created in the special category of 'religion'. With his project, it is possible for us to study 'hierophany' as experience of space and light through the methodology of religious phenomenology. This study has significant meaning in that it introduced an architect of religious spaces and a related new view on architecture.