Church Achitecture Resources

[jesusalright4me]

Hey! So lately, I have been fascinated by old churches, especially Catholic churches. I have been driving around in my free time finding small towns with Catholic churches in them to check out the art and architecture.

All this makes me wonder, are there any resources out there that could help me understand the meaning of different traditional forms of Catholic art and architecture (e.g. high altars, main altars, etc.). Easy to read books about the history and meaning of these traditions would be especially awesome.

Also, anything that pertains to helping me understand the changes that churches underwent after Vatican II would be awesome. I realize that after Vatican II, many churches became simpler in design, and more round to encourage community worship…

Thanks guys!

 

[Usige]

Hey! So lately, I have been fascinated by old churches, especially Catholic churches. I have been driving around in my free time finding small towns with Catholic churches in them to check out the art and architecture.

All this makes me wonder, are there any resources out there that could help me understand the meaning of different traditional forms of Catholic art and architecture (e.g. high altars, main altars, etc.). Easy to read books about the history and meaning of these traditions would be especially awesome.

Also, anything that pertains to helping me understand the changes that churches underwent after Vatican II would be awesome. I realize that after Vatican II, many churches became simpler in design, and more round to encourage community worship…

Thanks guys!

I was trying to find the name of a book one of my professors wrote that talked about the symbology of church architecture. Unfortunately I can’t find it (would help if I remembered the prof’s name )

“Catholic Church Architecture and the Spirit of the Liturgy” is an okay survey of Church art and architecture. It’s only around 200 pages and doesn’t go into great depth from what I remember. I remember I picked it up because Scott Hahn wrote the forward.

There was another book from the 70s called something like “the dictionary of church arhitecture” that included a bunch of illustrations and pictures that helped identify different parts of church architecture. It was more useful as a jumping off point to find out what that “round thingy on the end of the cross aisle thingy is called” (apse and transept). With the proper term it was easier to find reference to any religious significance.

 

[gaylejames2]

I really like How to Read Churches; A Crash Course in Ecclesiastical Architecture
by Denis R. McNamara published 2014. It is a small square guide book of 250 pages with drawings illustrating nearly every type of tower, spire, baptisteries, font, dome and cupola, vaulting and buttresses, window and tracery, stained glass and many other elements of architecture.
There is a chapter on ornaments and symbols as well as a glossary.
It is great!

Gayle J.