Sacred Architecture Issue 20 2011 PDF

S acred A rchitecture
ISSN# 1535-9387
Issue 20 2011
Journal of the Institute for Sacred Architecture

E X N I H I L O N I H I L F I T
Too often, though, the beauty that is thrust upon us is illusory and deceitful, superficial and blinding, leaving the onlooker
dazed; instead of bringing him out of himself and opening him up to horizons of true freedom as it draws him aloft, it impris-
ons him within himself and further enslaves him, depriving him of hope and joy. It is a seductive but hypocritical beauty that
rekindles desire, the will to power, to possess, and to dominate others, it is a beauty which soon turns into its opposite, taking
on the guise of indecency, transgression or gratuitous provocation. - Benedict XVI, Meeting with Artists
V
enice has a problem. Not only Interrupting the serenity and per-
do the rising tides threaten to fection of the architecture is a large
destroy this world heritage site, round drum placed at the center of the
but the lack of Venetians living there church. It emits a column of smoke. A
threatens to turn the whole city into a giant mechanical duct that protrudes
museum. From 1966 the number of res- into the center of the dome draws the
idents has dropped in half from 121,000 smoke upwards in a variety of shapes
to 62,000. The Serenissima lives off of while art tourists sit in reverent awe.
the great art and architecture of its past, The misty movement and the sound of
and survives on tourism. The city also numerous fans allow the installation to
relies on events such as the Venice Bi- steal the focus from the church and its
ennale, a large scale contemporary art sacred art. San Giorgio is no longer a
exhibition which draws in well-heeled vessel for liturgy or prayer, but rather a
art tourists from around the globe. backdrop for an experiment in physics.
In recent years, not content to re- In some way, art that is disruptive can
main isolated in the Arsenale, the Bi- have the effect of removing the sense of
ennale has begun to spread out across the sacred, resulting in an implied de-
the city with exhibitions in palaces consecration. The artist has entitled the
and churches. There are hundreds of work Ascension, and explains, “what
beautiful churches in Venice and they interests me is the idea of immaterial-
are expensive to maintain. Many of the thoroughly that it is impossible to see ity becoming an object, which is exactly
scuole, or religious fraternities, have the neo-Palladian architecture and the what happens in ascension: the smoke
become museums and concert halls artwork by Tiepolo, Ricci, and Piazzet- becomes a column. Also present in this
where you can gaze on Tintoretto’s re- ta. For those who love art and architec- work is the idea of Moses following a
ligious masterpieces while listening to ture this installation is a painful sign column of smoke, a column of light, in
the Four Seasons 365 days a year. It can of disrespect, and for people of faith the desert...” Really? Is this a thought-
be worse, however, much worse. At it is much more serious: a new type of ful reinterpretation of religious belief
the Scuola Grande di Santa Maria delle iconoclasm in which religious art is be- or merely a witty joke at the Church’s
Misericordiae, an installation by Flem- littled and temporarily disfigured. expense? The fact that the installation
ish artist Jan Fabre features a raised Another version of the war of im- was created for an art gallery in Italy
bronze platform with four giant marble ages can be found in one of the most and previously exhibited in a bank in
brains leading to a rendition of Mi- prominent churches in Venice. Seen Rio and a gallery in Beijing makes any
chelangelo’s Pietà in which Fabre puts directly across the bacino from piazza religious explanations suspect. The
himself in the place of Christ. In accor- San Marco is the historic Benedictine Los Angeles Times cited Ascension as a
dance with the artist’s stated wishes, foundation of San Giorgio Maggiore. contemporary-art emperor wearing no
visitors participate in a fictive ritual One of the last works of architect An- clothes. Or is there something more
by donning slippers and mounting the drea Palladio, this church is one of the subversive going on? If churches are
bronze stairs as they examine the con- great masterpieces of Renaissance ar- seen as irrelevant for modern man, ex-
sciously kitsch artwork. San Barnaba chitecture with its central pediment cept as artifacts of cultural history, they
and San Maurizio have installed within and two half-pediments. Among its naturally become sites for experimen-
their naves exhibitions of models of artistic features are two large Eucha- tation. It is not surprising that the orga-
Leonardo’s machines and baroque in- ristic paintings by Tintoretto placed on nizers of the Biennale would relish this
struments. San Stae, a temple-fronted either side of the high altar and mul- use of a prominent church as a venue
church on the Grand Canal with a won- tiple side altars, which include paint- for contemporary art, but the fact that
derfully sophisticated cubic interior, is ings by the Bassanos, Ricci, and Palma its use was agreed to by the Benedic-
one of sixteen churches maintained by Giovane. But San Giorgio’s main claim tines and the Archdiocese is sad. On
Chorus. Excepting a Sunday morning to fame is the architecture. Large arches the other hand, the artist could not be
mass, these churches are considered supported by Corinthian pilasters ar- happier. His rising smoke benefits by
museums of art and architecture, and ticulate a cruciform nave while giant being seen within the majestic space of
admission is charged. However, after composite columns on pedestals sup- San Giorgio, and gives back emptiness,
San Stae became an art museum, it be- port a majestically vaulted ceiling. A one of the stated aims of the contempo-
came a backdrop for contemporary art. light-filled dome hovers over the cross- rary artist’s work.
This year an installation called “Api- ing while a screen of columns veil the
ary. Destiny Drums” endeavors to turn ornately carved monastic choir behind. W
the church into a hive and the visitors The focus of the sanctuary is a wonder-
into bees. Large kite-like sculptures ful baroque high altar with a globe and Duncan Stroik
and hanging cans fill the church so sculptures of the Trinity. Notre Dame, Fall 2011
On the cover: Neonian Baptistery, Ravenna, Italy - Photo by Hay Kranen
Sacred Architecture Issue 20 2011
Contents
E di t o r ia l
2 W Editorial .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Duncan Stroik
News & Letters

4 W Catholic Artists Society holds its inaugural meeting in New York W USC builds new Catholic Center W
W Christchurch Cathedral ruined in New Zealand earthquake W Knights purchase John Paul II Cultural Center W
W Apostle Philip's tomb found in Turkey W Poor Clares dedicate their new chapel in Phoenix W
W Cathedral of Lugano undergoing sanctuary wreckovation W Diocese of Raleigh plans a new cathedral W
A r t ic l e s
9 W The Perennial Value of the Traditional Confessional. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . John J. Coughlin
12 W Leonard Porter's Stations of the Cross . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . John Varriano
14 W Ecclesiastical Sprawl Repair: Two Proposals for the Church to Restore the Urban Fabric . . . . . . . . . William Dowdy
18 W An Architectural and Theological Interface: The Dominican Complex at Magnanapoli. . . . . Christopher Longhurst
22 W A Faceless Santo Volto: Mario Botta's Conference Room Tomb. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Matthew Alderman
D o c u m e n tat i o n
24 W The Splendor of Truth, the Beauty of Love: The Exhibition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI
Books
26 W Worship Space Acoustics by Kleiner, Klepper & Torres. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . reviewed by Dennis Fleisher
28 W Ravenna in Late Antiquity by Deborah Mauskopf Deliyannis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . reviewed by Nikolaos Karydis
29 W How To Read Churches by Denis McNamara.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . reviewed by Thomas Dietz
30 W Majestic Shrines and Graceful Sanctuaries by Brendan Grimes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . reviewed by Thomas Stroka
32 W From the Publishing Houses: a Selection of Recent Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . compiled by Sacred Architecture
w w w . s a c r e d a r c h i t e c t u r e . o r g
Journal of the Institute for Sacred Architecture

The Institute for Sacred Architecture is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization made up of architects, clergy, educators and others interested
in the discussion of significant issues related to contemporary Catholic architecture.
Sacred Architecture is published twice annually for $9.95.
©2011 The Institute for Sacred Architecture.
Address manuscripts and PRODUCTION
letters to the Editor: Thomas Stroka
Editor, Duncan Stroik ADVISORY BOARD Dr. Melinda Nielsen
P.O. Box 556 John Burgee, FAIA Caroline Cole
Notre Dame, IN 46556 Most Rev. Charles J. Chaput, OFM, Cap. Thomas Dietz
voice: (574) 232-1783 Rev. Cassian Folsom, OSB Jamie LaCourt
email: editor@sacredarchitecture.org Thomas Gordon Smith, AIA Forest Walton
Sacred Architecture Issue 20 2011 3

N e w s
S acred A rchitecture N ews
David Galalis 2011, catholicartistssociety.posterous.com

Belmont Abbey College broke ground
on June 20 for a campus pregnancy and
aftercare maternity home. Organizers
of the project say it is the first college-
based maternity center in the nation.
Room at the Inn is located on four acres
of land donated by the Benedictine
monks of Belmont Abbey, and will
Photo: wikimedia.org
provide pregnant college women with
room and board and the opportunity to
continue their education. Speaking at
the groundbreaking ceremony, Fr. Frank
Frauenkirche, Munich Pavone, national director of Priests for Father George Rutler celebrated the Mass
Life, described the center as “a witness of the Holy Spirit for the Catholic Artists
Pope Benedict XVI received scale to the entire church about what we need Society May 15.
replicas of six churches that have been to do as a church.”
significant in his life to mark the sixtieth The Catholic Artists Society hosted an
anniversary of his ordination to the inaugural event and Mass of the Holy
priesthood, celebrated June 29, 2011. Spirit for Artists on Sunday, May 15, at
Built by members of the Equestrian the Church of Our Savior in New York
Union of Upper Bavaria, the 9-foot- City. An estimated 450 people attended,
tall replicas include the Cathedrals of filling the church to capacity. Fr. George
Photo: Belmont Abbey

Munich and Freising, and the churches Rutler celebrated the extraordinary form
of Altötting, Birkenstein, Aschau and of the liturgy. Mass was followed by
Saint Georg von Traunstein, and Bad a reception and lecture by Fr. Joseph
Tolz. These replicas were transported Koterski, SJ, entitled, “Ignatian Prayer
by forty-two horses from Benedict’s and the Work of the Artist.” The Catholic
homeland of Bavaria, Germany, and Organizers at Belmont Abbey College Artists Society, formed in 2009, holds
were presented to the Holy Father in break ground for the 10,000-square-foot regular evenings of recollection, hosts
Saint Peter’s Square on June 12. Room at the Inn. lectures, and plans to continue the
 annual mass. An advisory board is being
 assembled to help lead the apostolate.
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles is
constructing a new 20,000 square foot 
chapel and Catholic Center at the
University of Southern California.
The 400-seat chapel was designed
by Liturgical Environs, PC, Design
Photo: st-panteleimon.org
Architect Elkus Manfredi, and Architect

of Record Perkowitz & Ruth. It is slated
for completion and dedication in 2012.
Photo: www.holytrinitysc.com
The Basilica of Saint Panteleimon
The Greek Orthodox Church in England
consecrated a new basilica on April 9,
2011. The Basilica of Saint Panteleimon
is located in Kenton, in North West
London, on the former site of an Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church
Photo: cehwiedel.com
Anglican parish. The Anglican and celebrated the dedication of its new
Greek Orthodox churches had been church eight blocks from the state
sharing worship space in a building on capitol in Columbia, SC this past Spring.
the site until the Anglicans sold it to the Architect Chris J. Kamages of CJK Design
Orthodox parish. The existing structure Group in San Rafael, CA designed the
was demolished and construction began The new $35 million USC Caruso Catholic church, which seats 500 worshipers
on the new basilica in July 2009. The Center and Church of Our Savior is under under the 60 foot high dome painted
basilica was designed by Papa Architects construction on University Avenue and with Christ as Pantokrator, the Major
Ltd in London. 32nd Street in Los Angeles. Prophets and the Four Evangelists.
4 Sacred Architecture Issue 20 2011

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A new ambo has been installed for The new Cathedral of Blessed Mother
papal liturgies in the Basilica of Saint Teresa of Calcutta was dedicated in
Peter in the Vatican. First used on the Prishtina, Kosovo, on the occasion of the
feast of Sts. Peter and Paul on July 29, the one-hundredth anniversary of Mother
front of the large wooden ambo shows Teresa’s birth. When construction is
a relief of the Annunciation with the completed on the cathedral next year,
Expulsion of Adam and Eve from the the Catholic Diocese of Kosovo will
Garden in the background. The sides move its headquarters from the city
of the ambo have reliefs of St. Peter and of Prizren to the capital city Prishtina.
St. Paul. The architect, Sterlicchio Livio, drew
from the traditions of Romanesque and
Byzantine architecture in his design for
Photo: Flickr “Nicolasnova”

the cathedral.
The Cathedral of the Resurrection in Evry,
Photo: Flickr “Ivan S. Abrams”

France, by Mario Botta, was one project on
exhibit at the Aula Paolo VI.
The Vatican celebrated Pope Benedict
XVI’s sixtieth anniversary of priestly
ordination with an exhibition featuring
Photo: fradave.blogspot.com
work by sixty artists from around

the world. The exhibition, entitled Cathedral of Blessed Mother Teresa of
“The Splendor of Truth, the Beauty Calcutta in Kosovo
of Love,” was organized by Cardinal
Gionfranco Ravasi of the Pontifical 
Council for Culture, and located in the
 Aula Paolo VI. A wide range of art forms
After being severely damaged in an were represented, including painting,
earthquake last February, the Cathedral sculpture, architecture, photography,
of the Blessed Sacrament in Christchurch, and music. Church designs were
New Zealand, was hit by another wave presented by architects such as Mario
of earthquakes in June. No lives were Botta, Renzo Piano, Santiago Calatrava,
lost in the two major earthquakes of Paolo Portoghese, and Oscar Niemeyer.
June 13, but arches supporting the
dome of the cathedral were damaged, 
causing restoration work from the earlier
February earthquake to be delayed.
Photo: thekf.org
Photo: www.heyerarchitect.com
The Knights of Columbus announced

on August 2 their intent to purchase
the John Paul II Cultural Center in
Washington, D.C. The Dominican Sisters
of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist in Ann
Arbor, MI, had previously planned to
William Heyer Architect completed a buy the center but withdrew due to
renovation of Saint Stephen the lack of funding. Supreme Knight Carl
Photo: romancatholicblog.typepad.com
Martyr chapel in Columbus, Ohio. Anderson said the Knights will work
The renovation began in 2007 and closely with His Eminence Donald
included a new sanctuary, flooring, Cardinal Wuerl of the Archdiocese of
ceiling, and lighting, as well as restored Washington and Archbishop Allen
confessionals, organ, and Stations of the Vigneron of Detroit to establish a
Cross. national center, permanent museum,
 and Shrine of Blessed John Paul II on
the site.
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Saint Mary Church in Joplin, MO, was A full-scale replica of Noah’s ark is
destroyed by a deadly tornado that hit being constructed by Johan Huibers in
the town on May 22, 2011. Its pastor, Fr. Dordrecht, Netherlands. The biblically-
Justin Monaghan escaped unharmed accurate ship is four-stories-tall and the
by taking shelter in his bathtub. He length of a football field. Huibers has
was later dug out by parishioners. The been working on the ark for three years
parish and attached elementary school and plans to have it ready for display at
Photo: vbnarchitects.com
are fundraising and hope to rebuild as the London Olympics in 2012.
soon as possible.
Photo: stonechurchraynham.blogspot.com
The new Saint Bernadette church is
designed by Voelker, Blackburn and
Niehoff Architects.
Saint Bernadette Parish in Norton 
Commons, a planned town in Kentucky,
broke ground for a new church on May Saint Mary Church in Kinglake,
15. Formed by a merger of two parishes Australia was dedicated in December,
in 2008, Saint Bernadette currently serves 2010. The architects Kavellaris Urban
1,460 families. The new church will seat Design donated their services for the
1,250 with the ability to expand to 1,600. $6 million project in order to replace
The cost of the 34,000-square-foot project a parish that had been burned down
 will be 7.3 million dollars. Construction during the wildfires in the outskirts of
is expected to last approximately sixteen the Melbourne Diocese.
months. Saint Mary’s Academy, a
Archaeologists have confirmed the regional elementary school that shares
location of the Apostle Philip’s tomb property with Saint Bernadette, opened
in Pamukkale, formerly Hierapolis, in 2009 along with Saint Bernadette’s
Photo: poculum.tumblr.com
in Western Anatolia. It is believed St. parish center. This is the first new
Philip died in this city after preaching church in the Archdiocese of Louisville
in Greece and Asia Minor. Francesco in twenty years.
D’Andria of the University of Salento led 
the international archeological team that
made the discovery. He reports finding
a fifth-century basilica with three naves
built around a first-century Roman 
tomb, which “evidently enjoyed the
highest consideration, if the decision was The Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration
made later to build a basilica around it.” of Our Lady of Solitude Monastery in
This archaeological evidence confirms Tonopah in the Archdiocese of Phoenix
the faith of pilgrims who have venerated dedicated their new chapel on May 7,
the site as the tomb of St. Philip for 2011. Bishop Olmsted presided at the
Photo: whatsonchengdu.com
centuries. dedication. The building was designed

by SPS+ Architects of Phoenix. The chapel
is part of a projected 42,000-square-foot
monastery building project.
An ancient fresco of St. Paul was

discovered in the catacombs of St.
Gennaro in Naples, Italy. The image
dates from the early sixth century and
was uncovered during restorations
organized by the Pontifical Council of
Sacred Archeology. Its discovery enriches
Photo: www.panoramio.com
Photo: Flickr “Desiree Koh”
understanding of the iconographic

evolution of this great saint. St. Paul is
turned towards one of the deceased in
acclamation, and his facial expression
is similar to Roman representations of
philosophers from the same period.

N e w s
“The quality of the carving your company

has provided for Bishop Sherlock’s Room is,
Photo: mcnorlander.wordpress.com
by common consent, simply outstanding.
The craftsmanship on display is extraordinary
and the appearance of the room is remarkable
as a result.”
Dr. Scott Cooper, Director, Fulham Palace
Agrell Architectural Carving provides bespoke,

high quality architectural woodcarving,
The Timber Framers Guild of North
consultation and design services.
America is working on a reconstruction
of the Gwozdziec Synagogue for the Wood carving: With offices in the UK, New York
Jewish Museum in Warsaw, Poland. and San Francisco and a capacity of over 50,000
hours of hand carving a year, we proudly stand
The project includes converting 200 by our reputation for producing high quality
Silver Fir logs into 450 timbers entirely woodcarving on time and within budget, regardless
by hand, to be used in multiple courses of project size or location.
of scribed log wall, an unusual timber Consultation and Design: With over 50 years
frame roof, and a compound curved expertise in woodcarving and design, Ian Agrell
cupola dovetailing inside the log walls provides a unique service that if utilised during the
and timber frame. Before World War planning stages can result in significant time and
II, magnificent wooden synagogues monetary savings.
such as in Gwozdziec were found
throughout Poland, but during the Nazi Contact:
invasion more than 200 synagogues New York and SF:
(415) 457 4422
were completely destroyed and are now
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known only through photographs and
drawings. www.agrellcarving.com The Human Touch
W
Franco Pessina, architect, is working on
a renovation of the Cathedral of Saint
Lorenzo in Lugano, Switzerland. While
the main altar may remain, the proposed
cathedra, ambo, and freestanding altar
recall the brutalist style found in many
American church renovations in the
1960s.
Photo: 0.tqn.com
W
Photo: Don Jeffry Moore
Holy Trinity Catholic Church in

Gainesville, VA has the first set of stained The National September 11 Memorial
glass windows with all twenty mysteries was dedicated on the tenth anniversary of
of the Rosary since Blessed Pope the attacks. This tribute of remembrance
New liturgical elements are proposed for John Paul II instituted the Luminous and honor to victims of the terrorist
the historic sanctuary of San Lorenzo Mysteries in 2002. The windows were attacks of September 11, 2001, features
Cathedral in Lugano, Switzerland. designed by Dixon Studio of Staunton, waterfalls and reflecting pools in the
VA. footprints where the World Trade Center
twin towers once stood. The names
of the nearly 3,000 who died in the
attacks are inscribed into bronze panels
surrounding the memorial pools. The
memorial, museum, and memorial plaza
were designed by architect Michael Arad
Photo: rosarywindows.com
of Handel Architects in New York and

Photo: Don Jeffry Moore
landscape architect Peter Walker and

Partners in California, following a design
competition held in 2003. The combined
cost of the memorial and museum is an
estimated 700 million dollars.

N e w s
On June 28, UNESCO created seven A sixteen foot bronze modernist statue
new World Heritage Sites in Italy under of the recently beatified Pope John Paul
the collective title, “The Longobards, II was unveiled outside Rome’s main
Places of Power.” The new sites include train station on May 18 . According to
groups of monasteries, churches, its sculptor Oliviero Rainaldi, the pontiff
and fortresses throughout the Italian is shown opening his cloak to embrace
Peninsula, and are said to embody the the faithful. Following public outcry by
finest examples of Lombard architecture. the Roman people for the sculpture’s
They demonstrate the Lombard’s ability crudeness, the artist agreed in August
to synthesize various architectural to make “minimal” changes to the work.
Photo: holynamecathedralnc.org
styles, drawing on the heritage of
Ancient Rome, Christian and Byzantine
spirituality, and Germanic Europe. The
Photo: orbiscatholicussecundus.blogspot.com
seven sites include:
1. The Gastaldaga area and the Epis-
copal complex in Cividale del Friuli in
northeast Italy
2. The monastic complex of San Sal- Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of the
vatore-Santa Giulia in Brescia, northern Diocese of Raleigh announced the
Italy planned construction of a new $75 to 90
3. The castrum with the Torba Tower million Cathedral Campus in the city
and the church outside the walls, Santa of Raleigh. The proposed 2,000-seat
Maria foris portas, near Milan Cathedral will be dedicated to the Holy
4. The Basilica of San Salvatore in  Name of Jesus and will be the fifth largest
Spoleto in central Italy largest cathedral in the United States
5. The Tempietto del Clitunno, a Polish Church officials consecrated a in its seating capacity. The Catholic
small paleochristian church in Umbria gigantic statue of Christ the King in population of the Diocese has increased
6. The Santa Sofia complex near November 2010 in the presence of forty-two percent in the last ten years to
Naples hundreds of Polish faithful. Claimed to more than 200,000 registered Catholics.
7. The Sanctuary of San Michele, be the world’s tallest statue of Jesus, it The existing Sacred Heart Cathedral in
also known as the Sanctuary of Monte overlooks a plain in the western Polish the historic downtown is currently the
Sant’Angelo sul Gargano, in Foggia, town of Swiebodzin. The Reverend smallest cathedral in the country, and
southeast Italy. Sylwester Zawadzki, promoter of the will be retained for the sacramental life
statue, said the concrete figure itself is of the diocese. The new Cathedral will
33-meters-tall: one meter for each year be designed by McCrery Architects of
of Christ’s life. The golden crown and Washington, DC, and groundbreaking
mound underneath bring the total height is scheduled for the year 2013.
to 72 meters. By comparison, the statue
of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro 
Photo: Flickr “jmlwinder”
is 30-meters-tall without its pedestal.
The Tempietto del Clitunno, one of seven

new World Heritage Sites
Photo: dispatch.com

The government of Ireland has asked

religious congregations implicated in
the 2009 Ryan Report on abuse at Irish
institutions to transfer properties worth Bishop Frederick F. Campbell of the
hundreds of millions of dollars to the Diocese of Columbus dedicated Saint
state as part of a revised package to Paul the Apostle Catholic Church in
compensate victims. Education Minister Westerville, OH, on June 29, 2011.
Ruairi Quinn stated that if the eighteen The new 1,400-seat church is part of a
congregations were not able to meet larger project that includes an activity
Photo: dreamytours.com
the expected monetary payments, they center and athletic fields, and costs an
should transfer the ownership of many estimated 21.5 million dollars. David
of their schools to the state. Quinn Meleca designed the 38,000-square-foot
will seek a meeting with the religious church, drawing from the Romanesque
congregations to assess their views. and Richardsonian traditions.

A r t i c l e s
T he P erennial V alue of the T raditional C onfessional

John J. Coughlin, O.F.M.
F
rom at least the time of the Council Christi. While the proper place for
of Trent, the usual venue for the hearing confessions is a church or
celebration of the Sacrament of oratory, canon law foresees that for a
Penance has been the confessional just cause confessions may be heard
situated in a church or oratory. In the in a wide variety of places outside of
traditional confessional, the priest a confessional located in a church or
and the penitent remain in separate oratory. For example, confessions are
compartments and they speak to each routinely heard in hospitals, rectories,
other through a grill, screen, or lattice and, in military situations, even on the
which is often covered by a veil. In many field of battle. The plentiful opportunity
confessionals, the confessor sits between for sacramental confession permitted by
two compartments, each of which has canon law is grounded on the principle
a kneeler for a penitent. The priest is of the salvation of souls which is the
able to close off one of the penitent’s supreme law of the Church (salus
compartments with a sliding screen so animarum est suprema lex).
that only one penitent will be confessing The essential design of the tradi-
at a time. The confessional admits of tional confessional reflects long es-
a variety of styles from simple and tablished concerns of the Church for
Photo: scotus
austere to magnificently carved wooden individual dignity and the good of the
structures. It may be designed with community. In her wisdom developed
or without doors and with or without over the many centuries, the Church Confessional Screen at Kenrick-Glennon
curtains. In all of its design variations, has distinguished between the internal Seminary Chapel, Shrewsbury, MO
the confessional is essentially intended and external fora. The internal forum
to afford anonymity to the penitent. It pertains to matters of conscience, and sary and damaging scandal in the com-
also serves to protect both the penitent it involves confidentiality in both sac- munity. The traditional confessional
and the priest from unchaste touch and ramental and non-sacramental com- has long served to enhance these goals.
from false accusations. The traditional munications. In contrast, the external Canon 909 of the 1917 Code of Canon
confessional box nonetheless permits forum involves all matters, such as an Law stipulated that the confessional
a kind of sacred intimacy in which act of governance, which are public must have a thin, fixed, and perfo-
the penitent confesses sins to God and verifiable. The confession of sin rated screen between the penitent and
through the priest who acts in persona belongs to the internal forum while the the confessor. Vatican II called for the
question of guilt of an ecclesi- revision of the rites for the celebration
astical crime is generally suit- of the Sacrament of Penance in accord
able to the external forum of a with the social, communal, and eccle-
canonical trial. The traditional sial dimensions of the sacrament’s his-
distinction between the inter- torical development. During the post-
nal and external fora reflects a conciliar years in the implementation
balance between the common of the revision, the opportunity for face
good and an individual to face confession was often empha-
human being’s right to privacy sized. It remains true that many peni-
and good reputation. Even tents prefer this method of confessing
during the early historical de- one’s sins. The face to face approach
velopment of the Sacrament has been described as more personal,
of Penance, which was char- less formal, and less frightening for
acterized by public and com- those who seek a conversation with
munal acts of penance, there is the priest. Section 2 of Canon 964 of
reason to believe that specific the 1983 Code of Canon Law leaves it to
sins confessed to a priest re- national conferences of bishops to es-
mained part of the secrecy of tablish norms for the confessional, but
Photo: terryprest.blogspot.com
the internal forum. In addition requires that “there are always confes-
to protecting a person’s rights sionals with a fixed grate between the
to privacy and good reputa- penitent and the confessor in an open
tion, the Sacrament of Penance place so that the faithful who wish to
developed in the Church with can use them freely.” The United States
the wisdom gained from ex- Conference of Catholic Bishops has
St. John Nepomuk Hears the Confession of the tensive experience that the called for a “small chapel or rooms of
Queen of Bohemia, by Giuseppe Maria Crespi, 1740 secret auricular confession of reconciliation” that permit penitents
sins helped to avoid unneces- to choose between the traditional ano-
A r t i c l e s
sins, expression of contrition, resolve to ing requirements about abuse or other

sin no more, performance of penance, types of crime.
and the administration of absolution. The traditional confessional thus
Recent developments also suggest serves to safeguard the inviolability of
that the traditional confessional may the seal of the Sacrament of Penance.
advance important legal and societal The seal of the Sacrament functions to
functions. The traditional confessional ensure the faithful that they may freely
assists in protecting the priest from confess their sins and receive God’s for-
false accusations. In churches and ora- giveness without the danger of public
tories which are open to the general revelation by the confessor. Finally,
public, anyone may enter a reconcili- the traditional confessional conveys
ation room and subsequently bring an important message to the Church
an accusation against a confessor. The and society as a whole. It communi-
sexual abuse crisis has resulted in an cates that the Sacrament of Penance is
atmosphere in which the presump- a sacred and privileged place, which is
tion of innocence of a criminal act is not susceptible to the further commis-
often abrogated. A priest accused of sion of sin but is a source of the divine
Photo: Mark Scott Abeln
sexual abuse may be viewed as guilty healing that comes from the reception
once the accusation has been brought of God’s forgiveness. In the design of a
against him. When a priest is alone new church or oratory and in the resto-
with another person, especially if that ration of an already existing structure,
person is a minor, the priest is vulner- ecclesiastical architects may wish to
Confessional Room at St. James Catholic able. The physical separation of the use their skills to affirm the perennial
Church in Catawissa, MO traditional confessional renders accu- values protected by the traditional con-
sations of inappropriate touching or fessional.
nymity of confessing through a screen looking highly dubious. Priests need to
or the opportunity for a “face to face be fearless in the offer of their humble 
encounter” with the confessor. service to the faithful, but they also
However, recent developments in need to be prudent to avoid any situa- Rev. John J. Coughlin, O.F.M., serves
the Church’s experience suggest that a tion that might cause scandal. as Professor of Law and Theology at
retrieval of the important values served Additionally, the sexual abuse crisis the University of Notre Dame. He re-
by the traditional confessional may be has raised questions about the value of ceived his doctorate in canon law from
in order. It may well be time to recon- secrecy. Generally, state law protects the Pontifical Gregorian University in
sider whether the reconciliation room confessors and other religious minis- Rome and his J.D. from Harvard Uni-
presents more problems than advan- ters from being compelled to divulge versity. His latest book, Law, Person
tages. The sexual abuse crisis has pain- information that is communicated to and Community will be published by
fully reminded all of us of the reality them by a penitent. More than a few Oxford University Press in late 2011.
that priests are human beings like all persons in secular society have
others who, as a result of original sin been inclined to question any
and their own personal limitations, exemption that a confessor
sometimes may fall in violations of might enjoy under state law.
the sixth and ninth commandments They ask if a priest hears about
of the Decalogue. The separation of some criminal matter in the
the penitent and confessor in the tra- Sacrament of Penance why he
ditional confessional tends to create a should be exempt from report-
sacred space that militates against the ing requirements adopted by
commission of sin. One reason for this the state. The anonymity of the
is that the parties cannot see or touch traditional confessional means
each other. Chastity in sight and touch that the priest often does not
are, of course, essential to that deeper know who is confessing. Al-
purity which is to characterize the though it is sometimes possi-
imitation of Christ by both priest and ble to know a person through
penitent. Another reason is that the voice, the reality remains that in
traditional confessional facilitates an the separate compartment and
intimacy that is nonetheless ordered to behind the veil of the tradition-
the matter of the Sacrament of Penance. al confessional, the confessor
The modern reconciliation room often most often may simply have no
encourages a wide-ranging conversa- idea of the identity of the peni-
tion more akin to pastoral counselling tent. If the priest does not know
Photo: scotus
or spiritual direction. In contrast, the the identity of the penitent or if

traditional confessional suggests to the he has a lack of certainty about
parties that the purpose of this sacred a penitent’s identity, he cannot Confessional at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary
space is specific to the confession of justly be held to state report-

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A r t i c l e s
V ia C rucis in the G arden S tate

John Varriano
T
he 2011 Venice Biennale was
flooded with non-representational
works that were, as The New
York Times reviewer put it, engaged
in “an unforgiving contest between
the memorable and the forgettable.”
As an art historian, my own response
to the exhibition was to wonder why
contemporary art has detached itself
so thoroughly from the precepts of
Western aesthetics that have persisted
for more than two millennia, precepts
that have privileged recognizable form
and narration over all other types of
visual expression. One exception to
this somewhat dispiriting trend was a
single work in a collateral exhibition
at the Biennale by the New York artist,
Photo: leonardporter.com
Leonard Porter. This painting, on
display at the Abbazia di San Gregorio in
the exhibition “Future Pass,” offered an
eloquent and memorable interpretation
of the myth of “Tai-Yu Burying the
Flower Petals,” a subject taken from an The new Stations of the Cross commissioned for the Church of Christ the King
eighteenth-century Chinese novel. in New Vernon, NJ
Readers of Sacred Architecture now
have the opportunity to see an even had fluctuated between eleven and Porter’s aesthetic instincts are uncom-
more ambitious effort by Porter perma- thirty—to the fourteen that remain con- promisingly classical. Compositions
nently installed in a Catholic church in ventional today. recede in parallel planes as if on a
New Vernon, New Jersey. The church Few sacred narratives have been stage; in each case with a shallow fore-
is Christ the King, and the paint- the subject of so unswerving an iconog- ground, the principal action in the near
ings represent the Fourteen Stations raphy. Individual scenes of the Passion middle distance, with, in some instanc-
of the Cross, each marking a signifi- proliferated in medieval devotional es, a backdrop of classical architec-
cant moment in the Passion of Christ imagery, but only in the early four- ture. Despite the dramatic potential of
that began with Christ before Pilate and teenth century did the hand of Giotto the subject matter, the artist embraces
ended with his Entombment. During transform the highly stylized icons of neither the visceral realism of Caravag-
the Middle Ages, the venerable Via Byzantine art into more naturalistic gio nor the operatic bravura of Rubens.
Crucis or Via Dolorosa, as it was origi- depictions of human events. And it The body and soul of these paintings
nally known, was reenacted in actual was not until 1747—sixteen years after aspires more to the idealized legacy of
pilgrimages to Jerusalem during the Clement XII’s decree—that a major Raphael.
Lenten season. By the fifteenth century, artist undertook the depiction the Sta- The fourteen canvases, each mea-
as the Holy Land became increasingly tions as a coherent set. The artist was suring 16 x 12 inches and installed in
inhospitable to pilgrims, a number Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo and his aedicular frames of the artist’s own
of outdoor shrines were constructed series can still be seen in the church design, are hung on the nave walls,
in Europe as guides for the faithful of San Polo in Venice. Apart from seven to a side. Chronologically, the
who wished to undertake the spiri- Matisse, modern painters have rarely sequence begins with Christ before Pilate
tual journey alone. The devotion to the been moved to take up the challenge. which is located at the front of the
“Stations”—as the imaginary pilgrim- Leonard Porter’s Stations in New church just to the left of the altar. From
age came to be called—was initiated by Vernon envision the iconographical there the narrative unfolds from right
the Franciscan Order, and it was only program in a traditional representa- to left with Christ taking up the cross in
under their patronage in the late sev- tional manner. Walking in the foot- II and bearing his burden through IX.
enteenth century that the practice was steps of canonical Bolognese Masters Station IV, Christ Meeting his Mother and
moved indoors. Half a century later, like Annibale Carracci, Domenichino, Mary Magdalene typifies the eventful
Clement XII both extended the privi- and Guido Reni, the artist begins with journey with Christ Falling the Second
lege to all churches, and, true to the detailed and crisply delineated prepa- Time (VII) being the final representa-
spirit of the Enlightenment, fixed the ratory drawings that impose clarity tion on the left side of the nave. The
number of Stations—which previously upon the clamor of Christ’s final hours. story then crosses to the right wall with

A r t i c l e s
mined locations), Porter’s Stations of the illumination for the entire cycle.
were conceived as site-specific. Color also plays a role in drawing our
Their small scale and relatively attention to the Virgin Mary—garbed
high placement above the floor in dark blue in IV, XIII, and XIV—and
precluded—as a purely practi- Mary Magdalene—in red, yellow, and
cal matter—the unification of the green in IV, XII, and XIII. Finally, the
viewer’s sightlines with the picto- color of the sky reflects the accelerating
rial perspectives, but the illumi- sense of tumult and tragedy as it turns
nation and purposeful direction- from blue to partially cloudy, to darkly
ality of the compositions engage stormy, before concluding with the
the devotee compellingly. Light blackness that attends the Crucifixion,
has always carried a metaphysical Deposition, and Entombment (XII-XIV).
meaning in the sacred art of the Viewed altogether, Porter’s Stations
West, whether conflated with the are characterized by a rational and dis-
natural illumination of the church ciplined energy that, on the one hand,
or as a purely spiritual force ema- couples an empirical eye—capable, for
nating from an altar. Porter chose example, of capturing the increasing
the latter in New Vernon, for the
illumination of the seven Stations

on the left aisle enters from the
right while those on the right aisle
come from the left.
The directional impulses begin
Station I: Christ before Pilate at Station I with Pilate’s sharp
left-ward gesture energizing the
Christ Meeting the Women of Jerusalem symmetrical composition, and they
(VIII) and returns in the direction of the continue moving to the left with the
altar with Station XIV, The Entombment angling of both Christ and the cross in
concluding the series. Although Por- II-VII. At VII and VIII—the juncture
ter’s paintings constitute independent between the two aisles—the centu-
vignettes in a continuous narrative, the rion’s agitated horse redirects our at-
individual depictions are related to one tention across the nave. The progres-
another in a variety of ingenious ways. sion then continues the leftward path
Following the age-old tradition until, in Christ’s final hours at X-XIV,
of commissions calling for works to it regains a symmetrical stasis. The
be viewed in situ (that is, in predeter- expressive energy rises and falls in
keeping with the dramatic inten-
sity of the individual vignettes.
Thus the cruelest moments of the Station XIV: The Entombment
Passion are marked by the most
excited gestures while the Cruci- graininess of the cross as it weathers
fixion (XII) and Entombment (XIV) abuses of its own—and on the other, a
are the calmest. predisposition to long-standing prin-
The artist’s use of color brings ciples of classical art that include the
focus to the movement of his quotation of earlier works of architec-
compositions. Christ is depict- ture and sculpture. The artist’s style
ed in the first Station wearing a has strong affinities to the late Renais-
claret-colored tunic that visually sance and early seventeenth-century
defers to Pilate’s white robe. After expressive mode known to an earlier
this initial appearance, he then generation of art historians as the Clas-
appears in vivid red and blue sic-Baroque. Porter’s work is certainly
vestments that stand out sharply historically informed, but it is neither
against the dark setting and mindlessly derivative nor sentimen-
earthy-toned accessory figures. tally nostalgic. His Stations breathe
From X-XIII, he appears in a new life into a seemingly forgotten
white loincloth and has a lighter idiom, and do so with a unique sense
complexion than do his adver- of thoughtful and spirited grandeur.
saries. Finally in Station XIV, he
is fully wrapped in a luminous 
white shroud while his extended
right arm echoes Pilate’s gesture John Varriano is Emeritus Professor of
Station IV: Christ meets His Mother in Station I but points now Art History at Mount Holyoke College in
toward the high altar, the source South Hadley, MA.
A r t i c l e s
E cclesiastical S prawl R epair

William Dowdy
N
ow in the midst of Advent, it is
time to prepare for a new round
of clashes between Church and
State. From crèches to Christmas trees,
even to Santa Claus, a city official or
district judge will decide that the right
to religious freedom necessitates the
immediate removal of all display of
cultural celebration. And it’s not just
Christmas. Concerns about school
prayer and courtrooms’ Decalogues
perpetuate this controversy throughout
the year.
Frustrated Christians ask how
this has come to be. Not only did our
Photo: www.grenfellarchitecture.com
society once tolerate these practices,
but she celebrated them! Churches
once were recognized as pillars of the
community, a distinction manifested in
the pride of place granted to the church
buildings: from simple white churches
on village greens to grand cathedrals
on city plazas, the church was integral
to civic life. A current view of St. John the Beloved Parish Church, McClean, VA
Much effort has been put into fixing
the sorry state of sacred architecture, churches themselves that have chosen truly civic institution?
but the relationship between a church to locate elsewhere. Changes in de- This question was recently explored
and its surrounding environment is mographics, real estate values, and in two architectural studies, one by
only beginning to receive the attention parking demands are just a few of the Grenfell Architecture, PLLC, and the
it deserves. While creating a beauti- causes that have enticed churches to other by Daniel DeGreve. Grenfell Ar-
ful edifice is a significant achievement the suburbs. These are serious motives, chitecture began with the recognition
in today’s world, the architecture will not to be casually dismissed, but nev- that hundreds of suburban church-
always be incomplete if the church ertheless, churches need to recognize es and schools burden the Catholic
stands in a sprawl of parking lots and that there are consequences for their Church in America today with large,
strip malls. The traditional placing of actions. As churches have relocated to under-utilized lots and aesthetically
the church on the public square is im- follow their parishioners, they have unsatisfying, liturgically problematic,
portant as a symbolic gesture and as alienated their former neighbors. As programmatically obsolete architec-
a practical means of evangelization. churches have moved to remote desti- ture. These properties are increasing-
A church is an image of our spiri- nations to allow for large parking lots, ly costly to operate and maintain at a
tual nature, transcending the hustle they have made it difficult for the care- time when parish finances are already
and bustle of daily life, and when the less youth, elderly, and poor to reach stretched. In response to these inade-
church faces a courthouse, city hall, or them. And as churches have seques- quacies, Grenfell Architecture explored
bank, it reminds everyone that there is tered themselves geographically, their how a church property in a typical
no profit in gaining the whole world at communities have sequestered the first ring suburb, such as in Northern
the expense of one’s soul. Moreover, church from daily life. Virginia might be rebuilt over time to
when a congregation climbs the front Would a return to the public square both create a sustainable community
steps of a prominently located church, cause an immediate restoration of the and generate revenue to fund the con-
they stand in witness to the whole com- Church’s cultural prestige? Not likely, struction of better buildings. With four
munity, for “a city on a hill cannot be but it would be a start. Unfortunately, blocks of new housing and commer-
hid.” In contrast to this are the many many congregations are deeply in- cial space proposed, as well as a new
suburban churches with a barrier of vested in their current locations and a school and rectory, the parish could
parking and landscaping isolating the return to the public square would tax gain a valuable source of revenue while
church, and decreasing the odds that their finances as well as the good will establishing a civic character for their
a curious passerby will drop in on a of the congregation. How can a subur- church, now commanding its hilltop
whim. ban church continue to minister to its square.
Despite the importance of being on parishioners and maintain its current Grenfell Architecture understood
the public square, it is typically the facilities, while repositioning itself as a that for a plan like this to be practical,

A r t i c l e s
New Street Grid and parking
The five site plans show several phases of the proposal for an urban neighborhood for
Commercial core and new residential St. John the Beloved Parish Church, McClean, VA. Above is the finished neighborhood.
it needed to address two concerns: the competition at the 2010 Living Presence
financial burden must be gradual, and Symposium at Catholic University of
the development must not interfere America. Like Grenfell Architecture’s
with the continuous operation of the church masterplan, DeGreve began

church and school. By phasing their with an existing suburban church
plan, they reduced the initial capital campus and explored the level of de-
requirement, allowing the project to velopment that the site could easily
use revenue from the first phase to accommodate—quite a lot, as it turns
fund subsequent development. Ulti- out. DeGreve designed a vibrant neigh-
mately, the project could pay for itself, borhood with church, school, shops,
New school and finish residential row including the cost of the new school offices, houses, greens, plazas, and
and church, thus saving the congrega- community gardens.
tion from a lengthy fundraising cam- Where the project is most provoca-
paign. The first step is to create a block tive is in the way it explicitly engages
structure with an appropriately scaled the surrounding land by extending the
street grid that connects to adjacent urbanity of the site into the neighbor-
existing streets, responds to the site, ing suburban sprawl. By creating one
and furnishes on-street parking. Com- side of the beautiful perimeter streets,
bined with new parking at the block DeGreve leads neighboring land
interiors, the on-street spaces will be owners by example, encouraging them
able to handle all the current parking to participate in the good work he has
needs, leaving the existing buildings begun. This invitation is not an appeal
intact and freeing the former parking to philanthropy; it is an argument built
New church and square, and complete school lots to be the initial development sites. on sound business principles. By dem-
Church and school can seamlessly onstrating how a successful project
transition to the new facilities when boasts a significant increase in yield
they are finally built, and the old build- per acre, the church gives the other
ings can be demolished. land owners a good real estate compa-
Daniel DeGreve’s project investigat- rable for appraisers, bankers, and de-
ed how churches could use their prop- velopers, and allows them to share in
erty to become the seedbeds of tradi- the added value of the project.
tional neighborhoods in suburbia. The In many ways, this new interest in
study, “Generating an Urban Pattern churches as the anchor of the neighbor-
in Suburbia: The Ecclesia Parochialis,” hood is a return to the historic role of
began as a graduate thesis at the Uni- the Church as a founder of cities. From
versity of Notre Dame, and ultimately European monasteries to California
Complete commercial core won a first place prize in the design missions, churches often have nurtured
A r t i c l e s
civilization under their protective

mantle. Instead of finding this a dis-
traction from their spiritual vocation,
these churches recognized that the dual
emphases on corporal and spiritual
works of mercy were complementary.
Western civilization grew out of the
foundation of security and education
provided by the Church.
If we take time to observe the streets
and buildings of the modern Ameri-
Photo: © Daniel P. DeGreve

can landscape, what do they tell us
about the importance of our faith? Do
our churches stand proud, engaged in
the public as well as private lives of
the people, or do they cower between
Jiffy Lubes and AutoZones? The built
The East Elevation of DeGreve’s parish church and school, and the immediate site plan environment suffers from a soulless-
ness similar to that which enervates
our society, and our churches are
in a unique position to restore both.
Though congregations have long been
fighting the spiritual battles, it is time
for a renewed infusion of the Church
into society by reasserting the church
building on to the public square.
The work of Grenfell Architecture
and Daniel DeGreve stands as an over-
ture by architects towards reinvent-

ing suburban churches as community
centers. Though other architects need
to expand and refine these ideas, it is
the churches themselves—congrega-
tions, pastors, and bishops—that must
embrace this vision for their property
The North Elevation of the church and school if it is ever to become a reality. With
the confluence of the recession-fueled
demand for rental housing and the fi-
nancial distress of many churches and
dioceses, the opportunity has never
been better for ecclesiastical sprawl
repair. And as churches reconnect with
the physical centers of society, they po-
sition themselves to restore their con-
nection with society’s spiritual center.
Will Dowdy is an associate with

Anderson|Kim Architecture+Urban
Design. He lives with his wife and

two daughters in Chico, California.
An aerial drawing of Daniel DeGreve’s thesis proposal: “Generating an Urban Pattern

in Suburbia: The Ecclesia Parochialis.” The nucleus of the neighborhood is the church.

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A n A rchitectural and T heological I nterface :
The Dominican Complex at Magnanapoli
Christopher Evan Longhurst
T
he Dominican Complex thetic theory is the idea of form. St. The Architectural Type of the Ordinis
at Magnanapoli, Rome, is an Thomas explains that the form of an Praedicatorum
architectural composite from the object is in fact its beauty—that which
mid sixteenth century in the heart of “properly belongs to the nature of Before looking at the Magnanapoli
the ancient city currently housing the a formal cause.”2 In the mind of St. complex in detail it is worth consider-
Pontifical University of St. Thomas Thomas form also is not something ing the particular conception of beauty
Aquinas, Angelicum, along with the static or crystallized but rather coex- that characterizes Dominican architec-
adjacent monastery, convent and tensive with being. It is the structural ture in general. During its foundational
adjoining gardens, and the church of principle in things and when it is ex- years in the early thirteenth century,
Saints Dominic and Sixtus. Looking perienced on account of the subsisting the Order of St. Dominic took strict
purposefully at the Magnanapoli properties of integrity, due proportion measures to avoid anything sugges-
complex and recognizing within it the and clarity, then the object is said to be tive of luxury or affluence in its build-
spiritual impetus of architecture in beautiful. ings. In the Order’s churches a distinct
light of the Thomistic aesthetic theory Despite such an over-simplification seminal feature of the Dominican style
will demonstrate how architecture can of St. Thomas’ aesthetic theory it suf- resulted from the friar’s own sumptu-
provide a simultaneously theological fices to say that the beauty of any exis- ary legislation which originally ex-
and aesthetic reading. It will also tent thing is based on the vital reality of cluded decorative architectural works
demonstrate how sound architectural its form. In archi-
development and organization is, in tecture, according
essence, always inspired by the desire to this theory, the
to find a solution to the most important beauty of a build-
questions of purpose and fulfillment ing, or composite
in life. of buildings, is
determined by the
The Aesthetic Theory of St. Thomas complete realiza-
Aquinas tion of what the
work should be—
In the thought of St. Thomas it the proper orga-
seems that beauty is primarily a tran- nization of mate-
scendental quality, that is, there must rial, a correspon-
be a metaphysical ground for its exis- dence among all
tence. St. Thomas’ Summa Theologica its parts, and the
expounds his definition of beauty in an consequent splen-
expression that has become the essence dor formae (splen-
of his aesthetic theory: “Ad pulchritu- dor of form)—as
dinem tria requiruntur: Primo quidem in- St. Thomas would
tegritas sive perfectio: quae enim diminuta call it. 3 The Mag-
sunt, hoc ipso turpia sunt. Et debita pro- nanapoli site is
portio sive consonantia. Et iterum clari- an ideal example
tas.”1 These three properties—integ- of architectural
rity, due proportion, and clarity—are beauty accord-
therefore the qualities that make an ing to Thomistic
object beautiful. St. Thomas explicates, system of ideas
however, that he is not referring to because it pres-
mere abstractions, or what is known ents an array of
simply on the conceptual level, or dis- architectural ele-
connected from experience, but rather ments, planning,
to the physical world around him and design and con-
Photo: eng.archinform.net
to his empirical experience in and of struction pro-

that world. St. Thomas’ beauty, there- cesses and results
fore, does not exist by any theoretical that all contribute
means only. It is a quality of being that to the complex’s
is transcendent yet it pertains to things overall splendor
in the world, to created things. formae. Santi Domenico e Sisto, Rome, part of the Angelicum complex
One of the key concepts in his aes-

A r t i c l e s
into transforming in the buildings’ spacious study halls

buildings in their allow for more light to enter and to ac-
possession into commodate the contemplative aspect
structures to ac- of its apostolate, wide hallways were
commodate serious built to create an atmosphere condu-
scholarship and cive to prayer and silence. In general
even to inspire, Dominican churches have large naves
thereby creating a because of the importance of public
fusion of aesthetic preaching, and oftentimes they are
qualities and re- without side aisles. Lateral altars were
ligious ideals in a usually at the walls of the nave instead
certain architec- of in chapels. The church of Santa An-
Photo: David Carillo

tural type. Such a astasia in Verona is a prime example.
practice was typical One of the most innovative aspects
of the Dominicans of Dominican architecture was the ori-
in general through- entation of the buildings towards the
Santa Anastasia,Verona, has side altars at the walls of the nave. out the course of exterior by means of façades, porticoes,
their history. They staircases and fountains. A greater in-
except for in the choir. This architectur- adopted various styles of architecture volvement in the life of its urban sur-
al austerity, which often went as far as and assisted in their diffusion and as- roundings evolved. Extended to all of
the suppression of capitals on columns similation for new means and ends. its building designs, this architectural
and panels under windows, gave great The Order even accepted the style of dynamic has produced an expression
lightness and elegance to the new style the Renaissance when it had supplant- of the ideals of Dominican religious
of Dominican churches. ed the medieval forms and incorporat- life and has gone on to assume its own
Dominican architecture also ac- ed it into its own. Every architectural unique style, which may be called the
quired its distinction from the aspira- medium capable of giving expression architectural type of the Ordinis Praedi-
tions of the members’ foundational to religious beauty was used by the catorum. Its prototype is recognizable in
communities who turned away from Dominicans to further the ends and the Dominican complex at Magnanap-
the cloistered regula of early monasti- needs of their apostolate, for the motto oli, Rome.
cism and embarked upon a more active of the Dominican Order is Veritas and
apostolate of preaching and parochi- as their Angelic Doctor explains, truth The Dominican Complex at Magna-
al work. Their verve thus extended and beauty are exchangeable and anal- napoli Rome
outside the monastic center and im- ogous terms.4 Aspects of the Domini-
pacted the social and urban currents of can apostolate, which is characterized It is no coincidence that Blessed
its time. The Dominican style of build- by dedication to preaching, the study of Pope John Paul II writes in his Letter to
ing came to reflect the community’s theology, the safeguarding of Christian Artists: “[…] where theology produced
socio-religious ideals and fundamental doctrine, and the profession of total the Summa of Saint Thomas, church art
values. Subsequently, on account of fidelity to tradition, conjure a convic- molded matter in a way which led to
the Dominicans’ active apostolate and tion that is concretely expressed in the adoration of the mystery.”5 Conforming
establishment in large urban areas, a abstract values of truthfulness, beauty, to the principal idea of categorization
practice that significantly influenced apostolicity, magnificence, splendor of St. Thomas’ theological discourse on
the cultural milieu of the time, and and love. These values become tan- God, man and nature, the Magnanapoli
also on account of the rise of churches gible in the physical manifestations of complex is an architectural manifesta-
and convents known as opus sumptuo- unity, spatial economy, order, grandi- tion of the Thomistic system of ideas
sum, the Dominican attitude towards osity, practicality, hospitality and even by extension of those same categories
suppressing richness of expression in solemn ceremony in the liturgical ex- into its external architectural designs.
its architectural designs subsided. In pression of the Dominican Rite. In the words of the Pope: “the func-
the chief towns throughout Italy, by Dominican architecture may be de- tional is always wedded to the cre-
the end of the thirteenth century the scribed as theocentric, contemplative, ative impulse inspired by a sense of
Dominicans were in possession of the monastic and didactic. The last two the beautiful and an intuition of the
most splendid religious buildings, qualities set it apart from the architec- mystery.”6 The architectural arrange-
magnificent monasteries and some of ture of almost any other kind as Do- ment of the Magnanapoli complex is
the finest churches with exquisite art- minican architecture has a strong over- therefore designed towards creating
works. This was undoubtedly a con- tone of “educational space” befitting a single environment conducive to
sequence of the Order’s increasing im- rigorous scholarship in the context of both religious life through prayer and
portance in the socio-political arena at a spiritual environment. This scholas- community, and to academic schol-
the time. In point of fact, in the past tic quality is the essence of the Order’s arship through study and education.
as in the present-day the Dominicans charism and it is reflected in the ar- The two modes of human activity―to
have occupied some of the finest and rangement of its architectural struc- praise God and love Him and each
most important church buildings and tures as conducive to serious research, other in the spirit of Christian charity,
religious spaces across the world. learning and teaching. On account of and to know God and understand Him
The Dominicans projected their ap- the Order’s emphasis on study, prac- through the truths of the Christian
ostolic zeal and theological erudition tical elements such as large windows faith―are characteristics of one spirit.

A r t i c l e s
material and from connected encounter between material

nature is learned and nonmaterial properties is experi-
the systems, pro- enced. Moreover, given the unifying
cesses and aesthet- characteristics of this Magnanapoli
ics by which the complex, it is no surprise that one
buildings are inte- feels at peace in this environment for
grated to create a peace is “the tranquility of order” as St.
sound and healthy Augustine expressed.
environment. The Dominican complex at Magna-
Nature reveals an napoli is also an example of the splen-
underlying order dor veri in architecture. Splendor veri is a
Photo: picasa “Leandra”

and the entire aes- platonic term referring to the relational
thetic theory of St. qualities among material things. It was
Thomas is said to revisited by the Schoolmen and upheld
be based on the by St. Thomas in his goal of present-
principles of nature ing a methodology to consider the re-
Courtyard of the Magnanapoli complex which display an lationships among all things, however,
ordered hierar - primarily between form and matter
To achieve these goals in architecture chy of structures. In architecture, as on the one hand, and idea and truth
the Magnanapoli complex is unified, in the Dominican architectural typology on the other. In relation to the Magna-
proportion, and above all directional, displays, this order is combined with napoli complex, beyond the exterior
that is, it has purpose: making space functional properties and aesthetic ex- appearances of its buildings the con-
holy—building to uplift the mind and pressions, a kind of reliance on self-as- cepts of truth and beauty united with
the heart to spiritual matters. sembly, fitting form to function. knowledge and space are brought to-
Like the scope of both the Order’s The architecture of the Magnanapoli gether through an intimate association
theological purpose and academic complex not only reveals the character between architecture and theology.
goals, the architecture of this complex of a spiritual force, it also elicits a reac- Behind its walls these two disciplines
does not conform to any one particular tion to this force. Prescinding from St. transcend the rational confines of the
age or style but rather unites the legiti- Thomas’ system of ideas, the complex human mind penetrating to the sen-
mate styles of its respective ages into demonstrates how the human intel- sitive and emotional appetites of the
a comprehensive whole. On account lect perceives the attributes of form, human soul. A spiritual and material
of the Dominican friars’ capacity to in this case an architectural compos- communication is achieved through
unify diverse architectural designs to ite, which satisfies the senses upon the converging and interacting of archi-
supplement religious ends and ideals, being seen due to its inherent proper- tecture and theology, an experiencing
the complex comprises an interplay of ties of integrity, due proportion and of how both depend substantially on
architectural morphemes that combine clarity constituting the splendor formae the deeper meanings of a reality envi-
into more inclusive forms. While the contained within. The faculties of the sioned in and above the material limita-
Magnanapoli complex can be used human mind then sense the quality of tions of physical space and the immate-
for a variety of purposes such as com- these properties and the observer is rial limitations of the human mind. The
munal living, religious formation, and drawn into the space by the beauty of Magnanapoli complex thus possesses
educational development, the unified the integral structure. This process is the conditions of beauty that make it
composite surpasses each one of these achieved by the aesthetic appeal of the
purposes. It thus expresses a correla- building being appreciated upon being
tion in time and space of the physical, perceived and its image impressed
intellectual and spiritual strengths of upon the external sensory receptors of
what it means to be fully human. One the observer. The properties intuited
may describe it as a microcosm of the by the mind then arouse visual ap-
civitatis Dei—the peaceful dwelling preciation that is passed to the interior
place of all believers. intellectual senses. The observer subse-
The Magnanapoli complex also quently enjoys their reception in the in-
Photo: athomeinromewithmonicastiles.blogspot.com
achieves its purpose by a harmonious ternal sensory faculties and this is why
relationship with the natural surround- the human spirit finds itself simultane-
ings of its physical environs. It con- ously at peace and inspired in such a
forms architecture to nature by taking space.
nature as its inspiration, or rather, as its The entire environment becomes
solution to the complexity of its build- fully enjoyable, and one in which
ing projects. In nature the Dominicans thought, feeling, and the transcen-
find the answers to life in general and dence of the human spirit is expressed.
from a translation of the language Thus St. Thomas’s definition of beauty
of nature they find value in architec- as “pulchra dicuntur quae visa placent” is
tural designs. In fact the emulation of fulfilled. This experience approaches a
nature is the goal of Dominican archi- movement which is both natural and Arcade at the courtyard of the Angelicum
tecture, for from nature is taken the supernatural. An emergent and inter-

A r t i c l e s
the students who partake of the in-

struction afforded by its professors,
but even the ordinary passer-by who
has the opportunity to see the beauty
of its buildings with magnificent pan-
oramas, or walk within its halls and
gardens. The grandness of scale, the
harmony of layout, the attractiveness
of the grounds, and the overall sense
of relational order, with an integration
of the visible and invisible, the spiri-
tual and material, generate a sense of
assimilation into both the natural and
supernatural spheres.
Conclusion
Photo: bing.com
Characterized by an emphasis on co-
hesive unity among variety, the Mag-
nanapoli complex achieves a harmony
Aerial view of the Magnanapoli buildings and gardens between form and matter in which
they are brought together in spatial re-
attract the observer when attention is contexts, unity is upheld in the cohe- lationships and striking sensory effects
concentrated on the complex’s formal sion of the relational quality of practi- to contribute in a meaningful way to
structure. The architecture itself does cal and theoretical contexts, that is, in the overall message of a theological
not “create” this beauty, for the objec- the form and matter, while integrity is dialogue with contemporary culture.
tive conditions of beauty really only maintained through the uncompromis- It is a remarkable testimony to how
subsist in things, though it is reason- ing adherence of each discipline to the architecture reflects theology and how
able to confirm that it manifests beauty values of their respective canons. Each theology inspires architectural beauty.
on account of the equilibrium between of these properties—beauty, order, In the end this complex celebrates the
a formal perfection and the intellect’s unity and integrity, become insepara- evidence of a tradition and a history
apprehension of its physical forms. ble and, while remaining interdepen- of faith that points to the conviction
The undergirding theological dent, form unique manifestations of that the human person is a partaker of
impetus of the architecture is founded the dynamism of one spirit. something grand, engaged, as it were,
in a mind-based knowledge of God, a The Magnanapoli complex thus in a dialogue between creation and the
rationalistic logic, and in the human serves as a prototype to respond to divine, and this dialogue is well seen
person “ad imaginem Dei” as the center questions about the spiritual vitality of in an encounter between theology and
of human existence. This impresses architecture, and to understand archi- architecture. The Dominican Complex
upon the physical surroundings the tecture’s structural methods as a model at Magnanapoli Rome provides that
criterion for a religious ideal, incorpo- for, or conformity with, sound theo- encounter.
rating into the environs the architec- logical principles. It is the ideal form of
tural homogeneity of form and matter architecture functioning for theological 
where the characteristics of order and purposes and of theology providing
unity dominate over variety. It thereby the language for the structural design
offers a source of architectural wealth of its buildings; thereby it affords a Christopher Evan Longhurst, born in New
and organization that is relevant in the profoundly religious and architectural Zealand, received his doctorate in theology
context of a religious vision. interface. What can be seen here is how from the Pontifical Angelicum University
Scholastic and monastic activity are architecture “lives” in a religious body (Rome), with a specialization in theological
so well unified in a reciprocal relation- and how its religious message is in- aesthetics. He writes on the intersections of
ship of studying and learning on the carnate in masonry. As such, the Mag- art and religion and works as a docent at the
one hand and sanctification and preach- nanapoli complex is an example of an papal art galleries of the Vatican Museums.
ing on the other, that one does not exist encounter between the science of theol-
without the other. In this harmony a ogy and the art of architecture, and a
material, intellectual and spiritual for- theological ideal inspiring an architec-
mation unfolds, exposing an insightful tural design. This is the embodiment (Endnotes)
occupation with the notions of beauty, of the Dominican ideal of truth and 1 Summa Theologica, I, 39, 8
2 Ibid, I, 5, 4, ad 1
order, unity and integrity. In the ar- beauty simultaneously identifying the 3 Cf. Umberto Eco, The Aesthetics of Thomas
chitecture, beauty is experienced in one subject. Aquinas, 1988, pp 45, 234
4 Summa Theologica, I, 12, 4
the congruency of buildings and their The integral structure, from the 5 John Paul II, Letter to Artists (1999), 8
parts, and through the perception of potency of its architectural forms to 6 Ibid.
order and unity, while in the theology the dynamism of its pedagogical and
beauty is seen through the radiance of religious functions, inspires not only
the truth on its subject matter. In both those who live within its walls and
A r t i c l e s
A F aceless S anto V olto

Mario Botta’s Conference Room Tomb
Matthew Alderman
T
hat churches are still being built
in Italy, a nation where regular
mass-goers make up less than
30 percent of the population and that
possesses a birthrate that would make
your Sicilian grandmother weep, is news
not unlike Dr. Johnson’s comment about
a dog walking on its hind legs: one is
surprised it is being done at all, never
mind questions about quality. Yet Mario
Botta’s 2006 Chiesa del Santo Volto,
dedicated to the Holy Face of Christ,
is, at first glance, at least interesting, if
austerely modernistic.
Built at a cost of 5 million euro in
a former industrial neighborhood of
Turin with the Frank Herbert-ish name
of Spina 3 (literally, “Thorn 3”), it
adjoins an office complex for the arch-
diocesan curia. It is the centerpiece of
Photo: www.wikimedia.org
a larger town center complex repur-
posing the buildings of an abandoned
set of steel mills―a heartening and
humane urban gesture―and the church
uses a number of recycled elements as
well. As a consequence, a disconcert- The entrance and the campanile of Santo Volto
ingly industrial feeling pervades the
design. Botta has described the plan as is white marble, the sanctu-
reminiscent of a mechanical cog-wheel. ary paving a glossy black, and
The shaft-like central volume of the the abstract-looking presider’s
church is formed by an assemblage of chair has an almost Pharaonic
seven towers, surrounded by a lower gravity to it. Yet, as with other
circle of fourteen further volumes, de- modernistic churches, the ar-
scribed as “nail-heads” by the architect. chitect seems to be shocked
The massing, while vigorous, is unre- into an arid silence in the pres-
lieved by any humanizing ornament ence of the divine. This is, in
to give a sense of scale save a diagram- some ways, a start―initum sa-
matic cross, with the only real relief pientiæ timor Domini, and an
coming from the tops of periscope-like improvement on the Gentle
light-wells and the interplay of shadow Jesus of beige wall-to-wall car-
on blank walls. The church’s campa- peting―but it is hardly enough.
nile, a repurposed factory chimney, Unlike churches of past ages
is crowned with an eminently legible that hid symphonic interiors
cross. A filigree coil running round its within a simple shell, the inte-
shaft seems comparatively whimsi- rior is little more than ominous
cal until one discovers it to be a spiral Philip Glass background
of metal thorns. The topsy-turvydom music in a narrow spectrum of
continues upon the discovery that the browns and beiges. The only
bells are mounted at the bottom of the icons appear to be a pixilatedly
chimney and not the top. abstract interpretation of the
The interior, which seats 700, is not face of the Turin Shroud inset
without a certain blank majesty, and into the back wall and a slim
the immense stone holy water fonts cross of light hovering far over-
are striking, inset in large stone port- head. Both are almost invisible The interior of Santo Volto
holes at the entrance. The massive altar to the casual viewer.

The face Christ of Turin the sanctuary

In an English description of the
church, the translation speaks of “a
conference room tomb” under the main
level―presumably a crypt-level parish
hall, but the Freudian slip nonetheless
accurately describes the entire project.
The industrial aesthetic that pervades
the project is partially justified by the
site’s history. Such tropes, if they are
insisted upon, can be worked into
sacred buildings without traumatizing
the faithful too much. Edward Schul-
te’s mid-century modern-traditional
cathedral at Salina, Kansas, draws on
the Hollywood Midwest cliché of grain
elevators in its design. It helps that the
interior is embellished with genuine
iconography and built on an authen-
tic liturgical plan. The result is, none-
theless, not without problems. While
something like this can be done, it
ought not to be done often. The Great of the Old Country, they were cartoons everything wrong with the peculiar-
Plains are more than grain elevators, of something good, true, and beauti- ly epicene culture of post-modernity
and presumably the good Christians ful. Here, we have strayed into a bleak with the acerbic title, “When Drab is
of Thorn 3 are more than their Bogaro cityscape unworthy of de Chirico at his a Favorite Color.” This is the Passion
steel mills. Do people who live in an in- most cryptic. for people for whom “oatmeal” and
dustrial park need to be so thoroughly Everywhere one turns there appears “eggshell” are favorite colors, or even
reminded of the fact? a blank wall or a corner sharp enough colors at all. But Christ’s death was
Such an endless litany of cogwheels, to draw blood. It is a church dedicated horrendously tacky. Nature cries out at
smokestacks, and bare walls suggests to Christ in the tomb, but there must be the death of her Creator: the sun turns
a retrograde nostalgia for the heroic room for Easter. It is a curiously bland black, the moon turns to blood, earth-
worker. Coming from a culture that evocation of Good Friday, lacking the quakes shake the world, and old men
spends its time behind a computer splattery, operatic grandeur of Sicilian rise from their graves.
screen, the nostalgia is as sentimen- holy week or the black baroque gloom
talized as a china shepherdess, and of the home of the genuine Holy Face,
less psychologically healthy. It is no Guarini’s Holy Shroud Chapel, equal 
wonder that the Italian factory-workers parts passion-flower and passion-nail.
who scraped and saved their pennies to None of that here: God is dead,
pay for the gaudy churches of Chicago move along, don’t make a scene. It is all Matthew Alderman is an architect
did not build sanctuaries that looked very tasteful. I am reminded, on reflec- who lives and works in Concord, MA.
like places that churned out shoes, tion, of a recent essay by Dante scholar
beef, or steel. While often caricatures Anthony Esolen, who encapsulated

D o c u m e n t a t i o n
T he S plendor of T ruth , the B eauty of L ove

Exhibition Honoring the Pope’s 60th Ordination Anniversary
Address by His Holiness Benedict XVI
His Holiness Benedict XVI gave the

following address at the inauguration of the
exhibition “Splendor of Truth, the Beauty of
Love,” a tribute of artists to the Holy Father
on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of his
priestly ordination. The address was given
at the Paul VI Audience Hall in the Vatican
on July 4, 2011.
Photo: www.andrewcusack.com
Y
our Eminences, Venerable
Brothers in the Episcopate and
in the Priesthood,  Dear Friends,
It is a great joy for me to meet you and
to receive your creative and multiform
tribute on the occasion of the 60th
Photo: www.andrewcusack.com
Santiago Calatrava’s model for the
anniversary of my ordination to the completion of St. John the Divine in New
priesthood. I am sincerely grateful for York was one of several architectural
your closeness on this anniversary, designs on display at the Vatican.
which is so significant and important to
me. During the Eucharistic Celebration and I thank him for his courteous words
of 29 June, the Solemnity of Saints Peter addressed to me. I also extend my
and Paul, I thanked the Lord for the greeting to everyone present, especially
gift of my priestly vocation. Today, you, dear artists, who have accepted hold dear in my heart. The Church and
I thank you for the friendship and the invitation to present one of your artists once again encounter each other,
kindness which you have shown me. I creations in this Exhibition. to speak together and sustain a conver-
cordially greet Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Our meeting today, at which I have sation which should and must become
Dean of the College of Cardinals, the joy and the curiosity to admire your ever more intense and articulate, so that
Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, President works, is meant as a new step in which it also may offer to culture, or rather
of the Pontifical Council for Culture a journey of friendship and dialogue the cultures of our times, an eloquent
who, together with his colleagues, has that began on 21 November, 2009 in the example of fruitful and effective dia-
organized this unique artistic exhibition Sistine Chapel; an event which I still logue, aimed at making this, our world,
more human and more beautiful.
Today, you present me with the fruit
of your creativity, of your reflection, of
your talent, expressions of the various
artistic environments which you repre-
sent: painting, sculpture, architecture,
goldsmithery, cinema, music, literature
and poetry. Before I admire them to-
gether with you, allow me to stop for
a moment and reflect on the evocative
title of this Exhibition: “Lo splendore
della verità, la bellezza della carità”
Photo: www.flickr.com “Portal PBH”
(“The Splendor of Truth, the Beauty

of Love”). Precisely in the homily of
the Mass pro eligendo Pontifice, I com-
mented on the beautiful expression of
St Paul in the Letter to the Ephesians,
“veritatem facientes in caritate” (4:15),
and I said that to “make truth in love”
was a fundamental formula for Chris-
The model of Oscar Niemeyer’s proposal for the Cathedral of Cristo Rei in Belo tian existence. I added, “Truth and love
Horizonte, Brazil, on display at the Vatican coincide in Christ. To the extent that
we draw close to Christ, in our own

D o c u m e n t a t i o n
Architect Mario Botta’s design for the Cathedral of Evry, France, which was on display at the Vatican
lives too, truth and love are blended. be always, courageously, seekers of the wait, one day, to be able to contemplate
Love without truth would be blind; truth and witnesses to love; let truth in all its splendor. Once again, thank
truth without love would be like “a shine brightly in your works and make you for your friendship, for your pres-
clanging cymbal” (I Cor 13:1). It is pre- their beauty elicit in the gaze and in the ence here and for bringing a ray of this
cisely from union, I would like to say hearts of those who admire them, the Beauty, which is God, to the world.
from the symphony of perfect harmony desire and need to make their existence Truly from my heart, I impart to all of
between truth and love that an authen- beautiful and true, every existence, en- you and to your loved ones and to the
tic beauty emanates, capable of elicit- riching it with that treasure which is entire world of art, my Apostolic Bless-
ing admiration, wonder and true joy in never lacking, which makes life a work ing.
human hearts. The world in which we of art and every man an extraordi-
live needs the truth to shine brightly nary artist: charity, love. May the Holy W
and not to be obscured by lies or ba- Spirit, author
nality; it needs love that enflames and of every beauty
that is not overwhelmed by pride and that is in the
egotism. We need the beauty of truth world, always
and love to strike us in the intimacy of illuminate you
our hearts and make us more human. and guide you
Dear friends, I wish to renew to you towards the
and all artists a friendly and passion- final and lasting
ate appeal: do not ever separate artis- Beauty, that
tic creativity from truth and from love, which warms
do not ever search for beauty far from our minds and
truth and love, but with the richness of our hearts and
your genius, of your creative leanings, for which we
Photo: Darrell Ronald
The work of Paolo Portoghesi, architect, was also on display at

the exhibition. This is the mosque he designed in Rome in 1974.

B o o k R e v i e w
T he N ature of S ound
Worship Space Acoustics. By Mendel tectural acoustics in the concert arena,
Kleiner, David Lloyd Klepper, and the use of “stage” and “audience” is
Rendell R. Torres. Fort Lauderdale, FL: almost unavoidable, but the authors
J. Ross Publishing, 2010. 328 pp. ISBN generally put such terms in proper
9781604270372. $89.95 context and perspective.)
The book is divided into two parts.
Reviewed by Dennis Fleisher Part I is a textbook-like survey of the
basic elements of architectural acous-
W
orship space acoustics is tics:
a branch of architectural 1. Fundamentals: Nature of Sound
acoustics which deals with 2. Hearing
the audible effects imparted to sounds 3. Room Acoustics Fundamentals
produced within architectural spaces. 4. Sound-Absorbing Materials
These effects—the most familiar being 5. Metrics for Room Acoustics
reverberation and echo—are brought 6. Simulation and Prediction
about by the size, shape, and finish 7. Planning for Good Room
materials of enclosed spaces and Acoustics
are physical consequences of these 8. Quiet
architectural elements. These audible 9. Sound Isolation and Other Noise
phenomena have, therefore, existed for Issues
as long as we have had buildings. 10. Sound Systems for Clarity and
Architectural acoustics as an en- Reverberation
gineering discipline is, by compari- frequently and by more people, thus
son, a relatively new field, emerging calling for a book of this nature.” Photos and sketches of churches and
in the early twentieth century when The authors possess exceptional synagogues illustrate particular sub-
Wallace Clement Sabine, a Harvard levels of education, experience, and jects, clearly relating these standard
physics professor, was called upon to interdisciplinary perspectives in acous- acoustical topics to worship spaces.
correct speech intelligibility problems tics, architecture, engineering, music, In a significant departure from other
in a lecture hall in the Fogg Museum and liturgy. Their past and present books on acoustics, Part II includes
on Harvard’s campus. Considered the endeavors have extraordinary breadth three separate chapters on Jewish
father of architectural acoustics, Sabine and diversity: beyond their strong tech- synagogues, Christian churches, and
was the first to develop a scientific basis nical credentials, one author is a priest, Muslim mosques. In addition to this
to quantify and predict acoustical char- another a rabbinical student. This in- ecumenical perspective, the authors’
acteristics; because of this he was hired terdisciplinary foundation is signifi- interdisciplinary backgrounds allow
as the acoustical consultant for Bos- cant because in practice, worship space them to write knowledgeably about
ton’s Symphony Hall, the first concert acoustics involves a multiplicity of per- music (citing specific compositions
hall designed using quantitative acous- spectives and priorities. Most, perhaps and styles), church documents on
tics. Given these historical beginnings all, of these priorities are brought to the liturgy, and a broad range of worship
and the importance of sound quality table in this book. styles such as “liturgical,” “evangeli-
in music performance halls, architec- The introduction lists prospective cal,” “blended,” etc. This suggests that
tural acoustics has focused primarily readers as “architects and students of “optimal” acoustics is not strictly a
on concert halls, where most of the re- architectural acoustics, building con- matter of objective criteria, but rather
search and scientific design develop- sultants, contrac-
ments have occurred. tors and suppliers,
In concert halls, acoustics is usually administrators,
the top priority, and the best concert clergy, organists
halls are often cited to evoke images and organ build-
of acoustical excellence, such as Carn- ers, students and
egie Hall. Although acoustics is also a faculty of religious
Photo: Worship Space Acoustics
major priority in worship spaces, it is educational institu-

often compromised by liturgical and tions, and layper-
architectural imperatives, budgets, and sons with interests
aesthetics. in religion and ar-
It is significant that the authors of chitecture.” The
Worship Space Acoustics state, on the authors are com-
first page, a key motivating factor: fortable with ter-
“Although concert halls have been a minology from all The First Presbyterian Church, Stamford, CT combines a small
primary subject of room-acoustics re- these areas. (Given ceiling apex with tilted side walls.
search, worship spaces are used more the roots of archi-

B o o k R e v i e w
highly dependent on specific styles of

worship and the nature of the sound
sources involved. For speech, this
means making allowances for trained
orators and lay readers; for music, it
includes everything from a cappella
chant to amplified instrumental and
vocal ensembles.
Graphs, tables, and equations sup-
plement and support the principles dis-
cussed, together with useful references
ranging from acoustics textbooks and
engineering journals to publications of
the United State Conference of Catho-
lic Bishops. I was fortunate to contrib-
ute to the book as well by providing
photos, commentary, and an editorial
review of drafts for this publication.
The authors’ personal experience and
interests in the worship spaces they
mention make the notes particularly
intriguing: the three-and-a-half-page
endnote S.15 (“S” for synagogue) about
Hearth Israel, the New York City home
of North America’s oldest Jewish con-
gregation, offers an invitation to attend
a service there, along with explanations
of elements of Jewish services likely to
be unknown or unfamiliar to visitors of
other faith traditions.
The authors’ goal in writing for such
a broad range of readers is ambitious.
Most readers of Sacred Architecture
should find the book a useful refer-
ence. The availability of downloadable
supplements, errata, and updates from
the publisher will keep the book’s ma-
terial fresh and current, and offer more
detailed coverage of areas not included
in the original book. Less than a year A section of one of 32 Clerestory Windows – 2009 to 2011 – for
after its publication date, there are St. Williams R.C. Church, Round Rock, TX.
seven downloads (approximately 4MB) This new church had acquired and had been ‘built around’ a substantial number of original
including an errata sheet and new 1911 Mayer of Munich windows from a closed down Orphanage in Philadelphia, PA. The
topics such as “Choosing an Organ,” new 32 Clerestory Stained glass windows needed to be equal or closest possible to style
and quality of the original 1911 windows.
a detailed summary of HVAC noise
calculations, and case studies. Worship
Space Acoustics is a useful resource and
should be an ever-renewing source of Franz Mayer of Munich
information.
Stained Glass, Architectural Art Glass and Mosaic
Established 1847
W Appointed 1882
„Royal Bavarian Art Est.“
A native of Rochester, NY, Dennis Fleisher
has served as an acoustics consultant and Mayer of Munich
a designer of spaces for worship, music Seidlstrasse 25
performance, and education since 1981. The 80335 Munich, Germany
majority of his work has been in liturgical
spaces including over 250 churches and Phone: 1-888-661 1694
chapels and 30 cathedrals. Dennis@
musonics.org www.mayer-of-munich.com

B o o k R e v i e w
B yzantine O utpost in the W est

Ravenna in Late Antiquity. By Deborah reader is impressed by the multifaceted
Photo: sacred-destinations.com
Mauskopf Deliyannis. New York: nature of the approach. Based on the
Cambridge University Press, 2010. 444 careful consideration of all available
pp. ISBN: 978-0521836722. $99.00 sources, the author pays equal atten-
tion to architectural forms, structures,
Reviewed by Nikolaos D. Karydis and iconography. The book ends with a
short chapter on the history of the city
The preservation in Ravenna of Christ the Good Shepherd over the as capital of the Byzantine Exarchate
more than twelve churches from the entrance of the Galla Placidia (AD 600 – 850). This refers to a period
fifth or sixth century offers a rare op- whose cultural, political, and economic
portunity to study the history of a major military and naval base. Al- establishments are radically differ-
major urban center of the Late Antique though the evidence is limited, the ent from the ones of Late Antiquity.
period. The famous early Christian and author assembles all the information Still, the author explains how essen-
Byzantine churches of this city, most of available to present a sketchy over- tial parts of the Late Antique city kept
them restored drastically in the nine- view of the Roman city. Chapter Three being maintained, admired, and re-
teenth and the twentieth centuries, outlines the conditions in which early corded throughout the Middle Ages. It
display a wide variety of sophisticated fifth-century Ravenna−occupying a is partly in this period of maintenance
architectural forms, alongside countless site considered defensible, well con- that the keys to the survival of Raven-
examples of mosaic decoration, fresco, nected to Constantinople, easily pro- na’s Late Antique monumental fabric
and polychromous marble revetment. visioned, and lacking a strong pagan are to be found.
This precious heritage, correctly inter- establishment−became the capital of It is difficult to do justice to the high
preted with the help of written records the Western Roman Empire. The me- quality and wide scope of this book. Its
and inscriptions, has the potential to ticulous surveys of monuments such approach to the history of early Chris-
shed light on the complex artistic and as Santa Croce and the Mausoleum tian and Byzantine Ravenna stimu-
cultural developments that marked of Galla Placidia form the core of this lates reflection by combining evidence
the transition from the last centuries section. These surveys combine the from buildings and archaeological
of Antiquity to the Middle Ages. This careful analysis of architectural forms records with information from written
subject has been repeatedly explored in and structures with the description and testimonies. Embodying all the latest
the past. The standard works of F. W. interpretation of the surviving mosaics. research, the book allows typically in-
Deichmann, as well as numerous schol- The following two chapters treat accessible information to be used and
arly publications investigate individual one of the most interesting phases in understood. On the other hand, the
monuments and illuminate particular Ravenna’s history, the period from AD reader may register a few limitations.
aspects of the history of Late Antique 489 to 540, during which the city was For instance, more numerous and
Ravenna. The recent book by Deborah the capital of the Ostrogothic kingdom varied illustrations (such as graphic
Mauskopf Deliyannis constitutes the The survival of a series of churches se- reconstructions and three dimensional
latest contribution to this field. Skill- curely known to have been used by the drawings) would help to capture the
fully interweaving the evidence of Ostrogoths, who were Arians, makes most complex and opaque aspects
written testimonies with the interpre- Ravenna the best site to study Arian of Ravenna’s architecture and urban
tation of architectural forms, frescoes, sacred art and architecture. The author forms. More importantly, the fact that
and mosaics, this publication seeks to carefully surveys major churches such almost all the surviving monuments
recount, for the first time in English, as Sant’Apollinare Nuovo, but also are churches makes for a treatment that
the history of Ravenna from the Roman draws attention to lesser known monu- tends to emphasize the study of ecclesi-
times to the end of the Byzantine era. ments such as the Capella Archivesco- astical art and architecture. Still, these
This survey organizes this vast vile, describing them thoroughly and points do not detract from the great
subject chronologically in five main reviewing them within their broad cul- merit of this work once its scope and
chapters. It starts with an attempt to tural framework. Deliyannis also pays limits are realized. The wealth of in-
visualize the city during the Roman particular attention to the iconography formation in this book organized into a
period, when it gradually became a of this period and its symbolism, refers coherent picture makes it an invaluable
to the theories concerning Arian and resource for all students of Ravenna’s
Orthodox stylistic concepts, but avoids history, art, and architecture.
Photo: www.sacred-destinations.com
making a clear-cut distinction between

the two. W
Chapter Six is dedicated to early Nikolaos Karydis studied architecture
Byzantine Ravenna, tracing the at the National Technical University
history of the city from the Byzan- of Athens and received his Ph.D in the
tine reconquest to the end of the sixth Conservation of Historic Buildings at the
century. This section includes surveys University of Bath. His next book on Early
of the churches of San Vitale and Byzantine Architecture will be published
Mausoleum of Galla Placidia Sant’Apollinare in Classe. As usual, the by the British Archeological Reports.

B o o k R e v i e w
In the F ield
How to Read Churches: A Crash Course in

Ecclesiastical Architecture. By Denis R.
Photo: How to Read Churches

McNamara. New York: Rizzoli Interna-
tional Publications, Inc., 2011, 256 pp.
ISBN 9780847835980. $17.95
Reviewed by Thomas M. Dietz
T
his book is self-described as a A chimera is different than a gargoyle in
“pocket primer for decoding that it does not channel water.
the structure and purpose of
ecclesiastical buildings.” One would ing type, transitioning into church type
expect this to be a rather daunting task and style before moving into an analy-
for any author to tackle, as buildings sis of building materials and a formalist
of this typology are perhaps the most consideration of floor plans. The book
symbolically infused, stylistically is then subdivided into composition-
diverse, and programmatically varied And so this book is highly effective al categories, beginning with spatial
structures of the western tradition. for its intended purpose: that is, as a considerations pertaining to the nave,
Yet this book—the second in a series field guide, heavily illustrated with apses, sanctuaries, choirs, and stalls.
of architectural ‘crash course’ pocket short paragraph entries on a variety of Specifically structural components
guides released under the premier subjects organized into a recognizable next enter into consideration, provid-
architectural publishing imprint Rizzoli progression from encompassing con- ing a survey of vaulting and buttresses,
New York—manages to address the cepts to constituent components. Such domes and cupolas, and facades and
issues in question with economy and parameters, however, do not mean the portals. The guide ultimately con-
precision. material is superficial or of no inter- cludes with a variety of headings per-
As with any book, one must under- est to professionals. While most of the taining to furnishings, accompanying
stand the purpose of the material and author’s selections are well within the structures, decorations, and iconogra-
the author’s target audience. Those realm of ordinary architectural dis- phy. Each of these categories is then
seeking a didactic discourse on the course, even longtime practitioners subdivided into whatever topics the
finer points of ecclesiastical theology will be tasked with obscure entries on author feels are worthy of deeper illu-
may well be disappointed, as this book topics ranging from the ‘rundbogenstil’ mination, with a handful of examples
is far removed from the barrage of aca- and ‘misericord’ to ‘fictive shingles’ provided to flush out the subject matter
demic inquiries that spurred the recent and ‘billet moldings.’ Admittedly, in each case. Each heading is described
renewal in liturgical studies. Indeed, some of the author’s terminology is through a two-page introduction, with
this book intentionally avoids the more of his own invention, and hardly any each specific subcategory assigned its
complex, multifaceted and deep-seated topic is addressed comprehensively. own two-page section. The result is a
concerns that directed the evolution of After all, one could hardly expect the straightforward and intuitive organiza-
ecclesiastical design through history. author to distill sweeping topics with tion of material easily navigated by vir-
Instead, the selected material is intend- much debated boundaries—topics like tually anyone. As the written material
ed to be a strictly visual guide, a reduc- ‘Neoclassical Architecture’ or ‘Cen- is fully illustrated, this guide is espe-
tion of a genre—with all its complex tralized Plans’—into a two-page entry cially accessible to younger readers and
forms and myriad components—into containing roughly six paragraphs and perhaps most appropriate for those de-
a handy tome made accessible to those five illustrations, without consciously veloping a nascent interest in ecclesias-
who either lack a grounding in the embracing the required reduction in tical design and theology.
subject matter or who wish to synthe- the subject matter’s complexity. Yet Those seeking a book for them-
size their already nebulous knowledge nothing in recent years comes close to selves, a friend, or a loved one—espe-
of the material through the author’s synthesizing the full breadth of ecclesi- cially those with limited knowledge of
bullet-point exactitude. astical architecture so effectively. the subject—will find this to be an ef-
To achieve his fective and charming introduction that
objective the author would do well to find itself in a trav-
follows a logical eler’s luggage, particularly when en
progression from route to Europe.
Photo: How to Read Churches
large themes to
specific examples.
Organized into W
clear categories, the A practicing architect, Thomas M.
author begins with Dietz completed his graduate education in
thematic concepts architectural history, theory and criticism
Comparison of different Classical Orders pertaining to build- at MIT.
B o o k R e v i e w
T his P aradise R estored

Majestic Shrines and Graceful Sanctuaries: Roman architecture, in opposition to
The Church Architecture of Patrick Byrne the “mania” for Gothic architecture of
1783-1864. By Brendan Grimes. Dublin: the time. Replacing a church only eigh-
Irish Academic Press, 2009. 189 pp. 101 teen years old, the new church of Our
illustrations. ISBN 978-0716530732. Lady of Refuge was a Greek cross plan
$65.00 with Corinthian pilasters and a dome
over the crossing. The patron, Rev.
Reviewed by Thomas D. Stroka Meagher, believed that beautiful archi-
tecture can bring heaven to earth when
A
rchitectural historians might he wrote to his parishioners: “Think,
easily overlook the Emerald dearest friends, whether it will not be
Isle as a source of classical an additional joy to look down from
innovation, especially during a century amidst the beatitudes of eternity upon
scourged by the Great Potato Famine this paradise restored, through God’s
Photo: www.archiseek.com
and mass emigration. Instead, author ineffable bounty, by our hands.”2
Brendan Grimes unearths one of The book by Grimes tells the story of
Ireland’s most accomplished church a talented architect and the wider nar-
architects and his built work in this new rative of an optimistic age of the Irish
book published by the Irish Academic Church. The beauty of Byrne’s architec-
Press. The nineteenth-century architect Our Lady of Refuge, Rathmines, Dublin ture reflects the enthusiasm and gener-
Patrick Byrne lived during a golden age osity of the faithful in an extraordinary
of growth for Catholicism in Ireland and first ecclesiastical commission for Saint age of church-building on the Emerald
designed eighteen large churches. Paul Church, in Arran Quay, Dublin. Isle. Additionally, the book’s appendi-
By the end of the eighteenth century, After this successful design, Byrne ces include a list of the eighteen princi-
Catholic civil rights in Ireland were became the pre-eminent architect of pal churches designed by Byrne, along
almost fully restored and the Roman Catholic churches in Ireland for the with their location; comparative floor
church was permitted a more public next twenty-six years. plans of sixteen of Byrne’s churches;
presence by Protestant legislators. Byrne’s designs were in imitation and a list of titles from Byrne’s architec-
After the Potato Famine of 1846, of great classical churches and monu- tural library which were sold at auction
Ireland’s economy began to surge ments of Antiquity and the Renais- after his death.
and both public and private funds sance. For example, the ornamented
flowed toward new church build- tower at Saint Paul’s in Dublin is evoc-
W
ing campaigns. Church attendance ative of the Athenian Monument to Thomas D. Stroka received his Master
grew rapidly in the second half of the Lysicrates, while the thermal windows of Architecture degree from the University
century, from 40 percent of Catholics and barrel-vaulted nave at Saint Au- of Notre Dame and is an architectural de-
attending Mass in 1840 to 90 percent by doen’s are reminiscent of the churches signer in Indiana.
1900. The faithful also began to expect of Rome. Byrne also incorporated the
more beautiful houses of worship, iconographic tradition of Ireland into 12 Edward McParland, Public Works of Architecture, 223
Grimes 114
calling forth the sentiment: “Let all his churches. For example, at Rathgar
our churches be so constructed, that in Dublin, he provided three niches
no Catholic may pass them without above the main altar for the patron
an act of reverence, and no Protestant saints of Ireland: St. Brigid, St. Patrick,
without a look of admiration.”1 Archi- and St. Columba.
tect Patrick Byrne of Dublin designed Byrne succeeded in designing a few
an array of new church buildings in Gothic churches around Dublin after
and around Dublin during this flower- Augustus Welby Pugin’s The True Prin-
ing of the Faith. ciples of Pointed or Christian Architecture
Patrick Byrne studied at the Dublin was published in 1841. Byrne agreed
Society’s School of Architectural with Pugin on the importance of the
Drawing and was educated by two tower as a beacon to the faithful and
prominent Neo-Classicists, James the use of natural materials, yet de-
Gandon (architect of the Customs signed churches in both classical and
House and Four Courts) and Henry Gothic forms.
Photo: www.archiseek.com
Aaron Baker. Byrne worked for Baker One of the greatest stories about
and Francis Johnston before begin- Patrick Byrne is his collaboration with
ning his own architecture firm. He was the Reverend William Meagher of Our
working for the Wide Street Commis- Lady of Refuge in Rathmines, Dublin.
sioners of the City of Dublin as an ar- Meagher was a generous priest-patron
chitect, when in 1835 he received his with an acute enthusiasm for a more The interior of Our Lady of Refuge
LOGOS
A Journal of Catholic Thought and Culture
Call for Papers

Logos seeks a readership that extends
beyond the academy and is especially
interested in receiving submissions in
art, photography, architecture and
music. Articles should demonstrate a
clear exploration of themes related to
the intersection of these subjects and
Catholic thought and culture.
L I T E R AT U R E ✧ ART ✧ THEOLOGY ✧ MUSIC ✧ H I S T O RY ✧ ARCHITECTURE
www.stthomas.edu/cathstudies/logos
B o o k R e v i e w
F rom the P ublishing H ouses

A Selection of Recent Books
The Turn to Transcendence: The Role of the fourth century, making Ethiopia the
Religion in the Twenty-First Century, by second country in the world (after Ar-
Glenn W. Olsen. Washington, DC: The menia) to officially adopt the new faith.
Photo: Designs for Churches and Chapels

Catholic University of America Press, This book is the first to integrate his-
2010. 404 pp. ISBN 9780813217406. torical, archaeological, and art history
$49.95 evidence to provide a comprehensive
account of Ethiopian Christian civiliza-
Olsen demonstrates that religion tion and its churches—both built and
can and should play a role in restoring rock-hewn—from the Aksumite period
a cultural openness to transcendence. to the thirteenth century.
He considers such questions as how we David W. Phillipson situates the
should understand God’s presence in churches within the development of
Designs for Churches and Chapels, by the universe, what form religion should Ethiopian society, illuminating the ex-
W.F. Pocock. Reading, UK: Spire Books take in the public square, what role lit- ceptional continuity of the country’s
Ltd., 2010. First published 1819. 72 pp. urgy plays in orienting us toward God Christian civilization. He offers the
ISBN 9781904965299. $79.95 in the universe, and what it means for most detailed treatment of the rock-
religion to be in but not of the world. hewn churches at Lalibela World Heri-
This is a faithful reproduction of Olsen examines proposals for re- tage Site ever published.
W.F. Pocock’s book of 1819 and is a covering an adequate sense of tran-
major landmark in the publication of scendence for the future. These range W
architectural facsimiles. It is probably from an appreciation of certain forms
the most important Georgian pattern of contemporary art and music specifi-
book not previously reprinted and is cally concerned with transcendence, to
of fundamental importance in under- discussion of the forms of Christian life
standing the dynamic story of church and worship most likely to prosper in
and chapel design in the period after and shape the modern world. He pro-
Waterloo. It is the only book produced poses a contemporary way of express-
on this subject before 1836. ing the ideas that God is to be found in
The 44 model designs were enthusi- all things and that all is to be done for
astically copied, especially by Noncon- the glory of God.
formists, and the letterpress provided W
practical suggestions for those contem-
plating building.
It also had enormous influence in
North America where countless build-
ings can be traced back to Pocock’s
manual—a compelling chapter in the The Gargoyles of Notre-Dame: Medieval-
story of transatlantic architectural his- ism and the Monsters of Modernity, by
tory. Michael Camille. Chicago, IL: The Uni-
W versity of Chicago Press, 2009. 439 pp.
ISBN 9780226092454. $49.00
Michael Camille recounts and re-

interprets Eugene Viollet-le-Duc’s res-
toration of Notre Dame from 1843-64,
when the gargoyles were designed,
sculpted by Victor Pyanet, and in-
stalled. Camille argues that these gar-
goyles symbolize an imagined past,
Ancient Churches of Ethiopia: Fourth- and explores their place in the twenti-
Fourteenth Centuries, by David W. eth century imagination. He covers in-
Phillipson. New Haven, CT: Yale terpretations of gargoyles by everyone
University Press, 2009. 230 pp. ISBN from Winslow Homer to the Walt Dis-
9780300141566. $65.00 ney Company. The book contains black
and white illustrations of the carved
The kings of Aksum formally became gargoyles themselves but little of the
Christian during the second quarter of rest of Notre Dame.

B o o k R e v i e w
revealing scenic treasures that lie be- Franz Mayer of Munich and F.X. Zettler
yond the well-worn tourist paths. The (est. 1847 & 1870 resp.) Historic List of
earliest of the thirteen, St. Louis Ca- Stained Glass Windows and Mosaics in
thedral, traces its origin to 1727. The Cathedrals and Churches USA. 2010. 76
most recent, Immaculate Conception, pp. (info@mayer-of-munich.com)
was built in 1930 but modeled after its
mid-nineteenth century predecessor. The lists of windows and mosaics by
The author, Charles Nolan, offers com- Franz Mayer of Munich and affiliated
mentary about each edifice, its congre- stained glass studio F.X. Zettler have
gation, and the rich variety of art forms been assembled here in this booklet
assembled over the years: architecture, printed by Mayer’sche Hofkunstanstalt
stained glass, statuary, mosaics, paint- GmbH. The American churches in
ings, and more. which the windows are located are or-
Medieval Christianity in Practice, by W ganized by state and city. Stained glass
Miri Rubin. Princeton, NJ: Princeton windows supplied before 1888 are not
University Press, 2009. 346 pp. ISBN B u i l d i n g a included, and some of the names of the
9780691090580. $23.95 New Church: A churches may have changed or they
Process Manual may no longer exist. Additional re-
Comprising forty-two selections for Pastors and search work can be offered through ar-
from primary source materials, the col- Lay Leaders, by chivist Wilfried Jaekel, jaekel@mayer-
lection illustrates the religious cycles, James E. Healy. of-munich.com.
rituals and experiences that gave C o l l e g e v i l l e ,
meaning to medieval Christian indi- MN: Liturgi-
W
viduals and communities. This volume cal Press, 2009
assembles sources reflecting different 138 pp. ISBN
genres, regions, and styles, including 9780814632697.
prayer books, chronicles, diaries, li- $18.95
turgical books, sermons, hagiography,
and handbooks for the laity and clergy. The task of building a new worship
The texts explore such life-cycle events space for a community is both over-
as birth, confirmation, marriage sick- whelming and sacred. It is a time of
ness, death, and burial. The texts also change that presents the opportunity
document religious practices related for enrichment and catechesis. Using
to themes of work, parish life, and de- his experience of working with a steer-
votions. The book gives students and ing committee to build a new church,
general readers the necessary back- Father James Healy in this volume
ground for an appreciation of the cre- takes a daunting task and makes it
ativity and multiplicity of medieval manageable. He provides ideas for in-
Christian religious culture. volving the parish community in deci-
sion making and for ensuring that the
W process of building a new church is a
prayerful and sacred time. The prac-
tical appendices are available online
only, and are downloadable free at
www.litpress.org/new_church.
The Loggia of Raphael: A Vatican Art
W Treasure, by Nicole Dacos. Trans. by
Josephine Bacon. New York: Abbeville
Press Publishers, 2008. 352 pp. ISBN
9780789210043. $125.00
The colonnaded porch on the second

story of the Apostolic Palace is one of
Raphael’s last and greatest achieve-
Splendors of Faith: New Orleans Catho- ments. The decoration of its thirteen
lic Churches, 1727-1930, by Charles E. vaults, between 1517-19, each contain
Nolan. Photographs by Frank J. Methe. four frescoes of scenes from the Bible,
Baton Rouge, LA: Louisiana State from the Creation to the Last Supper.
University Press, 2010. 134 pp. ISBN The gallery is also decorated with
9780807136829. $65.00 stucco bas-reliefs, trompe-l’oeil fes-
toons of fruit and flowers, and frescoed
This book showcases thirteen of grotesques. It contains two hundred il-
the historic churches of New Orleans, lustrations, mostly in full color.

B o o k R e v i e w
devotional poetry. She also offers a de- intentions of the diverse Christian com-
tailed analysis of documented native munities of the Holy Land.
ritual practices that—she argues—as-
sist in the interpretation of the imagery. W
With more than 200 illustrations, in-
cluding 24 in color, Framing the Sacred is Ars Sacra: Christian Art and Architecture
the most extensive study to date of the of the Western World from the Very Be-
indigenous aspects of these churches ginning up Until Today by Rolf Toman.
and fosters a more complete under- Potsdam: h.f.ullmann of Tandem
standing of Christianity’s influence on Verlag GmbH, 2010. 800 pp. ISBN
Mexican peoples. 9783833151408. $125.00
W
This 12 x 18 book is a coffee table
book that will break your coffee table.
Spirituality, the sacred and the profane,
liturgy and space have interacted for
more than 1500 years. Portals and capi-
tals, altars and altarpieces, murals and
stained glass, tabernacles and baptismal
fonts, rood screens and pulpits, choirs
and confessionals, as well as books and
liturgical accountrements such as chal-
Framing the Sacred: The Indian Churches ices and patens, monstrances and cross-
of Early Colonial Mexico, by Eleanor es, vestments and paraments are part of
Wake. Norman, OK: University of this tradition.
Oklahoma Press, 2010. 338 pp. ISBN Ars Sacra presents the development
9780806140339. $65.00 and interaction of these various ele-
ments from the early third century to
Christian churches erected in Mexico the present day—from the Early Chris-
during the early colonial era represent- tian murals in the catacombs to Gerhard
ed the triumph of European conquest Richter’s church windows in Cologne
and religious domination. Or did they? Cathedral. This twenty-five pound
Building on recent research that ques- book is the largest and most impressive
tions the “cultural” conquest of Meso- The Madonna of the Prickly Pear Cactus: collection of photos of churches and sa-
america, Eleanor Wake shows that colo- Tradition and Innovation in 19th- and cred elements in recent history.
nial Mexican churches also reflected the 20th- century Christian Art in the Holy
beliefs of the indigenous communities Land, by Nurith Kenaan-Kedar. Jerusa-
that built them. lem: Yad Ben-Zvi Press, 2010. 168 pp.
European authorities failed to rec- ISBN 9789652173171. $65.00
ognize that the meaning of the edifices
they so admired was being challenged: Christian visual art and culture of
pre-Columbian iconography integrated the nineteenth and twentieth centuries
into Christian imagery, altars oriented in the Holy Land have received little
toward indigenous sacred landmarks, scholarly attention, if at all. This book
and carefully recycled masonry. In studies, analyzes, and presents major
Framing the Sacred, Wake examines artistic creations of diverse Christian
how the art and architecture of Mex- communities during this period. Fur-
ico’s religious structures reveals the thermore, it also offers an extensive
indigenous people’s own decisions re- corpus of visual images never photo-
garding the conversion program and graphed and published previously.
their accommodation of the Christian The book is devoted to aspects of the
message. visual art of the Greek-Orthodox and
As Wake shows, native peoples se- Armenian churches of Jerusalem, and
lected aspects of the invading culture to the—mainly twentieth century—ar-
to secure their own culture’s survival. tistic endeavors of the Latin Church.
In focusing on anomalies present in in- Iconographic investigations and analy-
digenous art and their relationship to sis of meanings embodied in the Greek
orthodox Christian iconography, she and Armenian paintings and the archi-
draws on a wide geographical sam- tecture and painting cycles of the Latin
pling across various forms of Indian Visitation Church in Ain Karim and the W
artistic expression, including religious Latin Church of the Annunciation in
sculpture and painting, innovative ar- Nazareth attempt to decipher this art
chitectural detail, cartography, and as an expression of the attitudes and

A r t i c l e s
SACRED ARCHITECTURE
“In light of the present Pontiff ’s emphasis on beauty, the return to tradition, and the
experience of transcendence, this journal encourages me, feeds me and gives me excellent
photographs to contemplate. I enthusiastically support its mission and hope you will as well.”
- Rev. Giles R. Dimock, OP
Prior, Dominican House of Studies
Donations of $35 or more to Sacred Architecture will receive the new

book by Dr. Denis R. McNamara, How to Read Churches:
A Crash Course in Ecclesiastical Architecture.
Visit www.sacredarchitecture.org
or fill out the enclosed card to subscribe or make a donation.
For more information, telephone (574) 232-1783, fax (574) 232-1792 or

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spACe foRmAtIon, LItuRgICAL

fuRnItuRe, AppoIntments,
sACReD ARt, stAtuARy, CARvIngs,
mosAICs, gLAss ARt, muRALs.
st. John seminary Chapel Restoration It was Cardinal William o’Connell,

Brighton, MA who commissioned the Roman
artist gonippo Raggi to decorate
the interior of the chapel in 1908.
Rohn Design and Associates is
now privileged to restore the
original colors and forms which
have, through time and previous
restorations, lost much of their
original brilliance and detail.
ConsuLtIng • sACReD ARt • RenovAtIons

RestoRAtIons • neW ConstRuCtIon
Rohn & Associates Design, Inc. has served as Liturgical Designers, Artists and Artisans since 1952
www.rohndesign.com • rolfrohn@rohndesign.com
Catholicliturgicalarts.
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Sacred Architecture Issue 20 2011 3

S acred A rchitecture N ews

David Galalis 2011, catholicartistssociety.posterous.com

Photo: Belmont Abbey

Architect Elkus Manfredi, and Architect

4 Sacred Architecture Issue 20 2011

Photo: Flickr “Nicolasnova”

The Cathedral of the Resurrection in Evry,

Photo: Flickr “Ivan S. Abrams”

work by sixty artists from around

The Knights of Columbus announced

centuries. dedication. The building was designed

An ancient fresco of St. Paul was

understanding of the iconographic

6 Sacred Architecture Issue 20 2011

“The quality of the carving your company

Agrell Architectural Carving provides bespoke,

Holy Trinity Catholic Church in

of Handel Architects in New York and

landscape architect Peter Walker and

Sacred Architecture Issue 20 2011 7

is 30-meters-tall without its pedestal.

The Tempietto del Clitunno, one of seven

The government of Ireland has asked

8 Sacred Architecture Issue 20 2011

T he P erennial V alue of the T raditional C onfessional

sins, expression of contrition, resolve to ing requirements about abuse or other

or spiritual direction. In contrast, the the identity of the penitent or if

10 Sacred Architecture Issue 20 2011

Church Interiors Statues Restoraons

Sacred Architecture Issue 20 2011 11

V ia C rucis in the G arden S tate

12 Sacred Architecture Issue 20 2011

illumination of the seven Stations

E cclesiastical S prawl R epair

14 Sacred Architecture Issue 20 2011

with the continuous operation of the church masterplan, DeGreve began

civilization under their protective

Photo: © Daniel P. DeGreve

Photo: © Daniel P. DeGreve

Will Dowdy is an associate with

Design. He lives with his wife and

An aerial drawing of Daniel DeGreve’s thesis proposal: “Generating an Urban Pattern

16 Sacred Architecture Issue 20 2011

Sacred Architecture Issue 20 2011 17

to his empirical experience in and of struction pro-

18 Sacred Architecture Issue 20 2011

into transforming in the buildings’ spacious study halls

Photo: David Carillo

Sacred Architecture Issue 20 2011 19

material and from connected encounter between material

Photo: picasa “Leandra”

20 Sacred Architecture Issue 20 2011

the students who partake of the in-

A F aceless S anto V olto

22 Sacred Architecture Issue 20 2011

The face Christ of Turin the sanctuary

Sacred Architecture Issue 20 2011 23

T he S plendor of T ruth , the B eauty of L ove

Church Interiors Statues Restoraons