Church Door.

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UnityofTrinity

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Why are so many new churches have layers of doors and glass doors just to reach the altar? Don’t you think if churches simply design their doors like the old days, with the two big doors leading right into the sanctuary, it would be easier to bring many more inside the Church?
 
UnityofTrinity said:
Why are so many new churches have layers of doors and glass doors just to reach the altar? Don’t you think if churches simply design their doors like the old days, with the two big doors leading right into the sanctuary, it would be easier to bring many more inside the Church?
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Not sure what you mean. Thinking of the churches of my youth, all of which dated from late 1800’s / early 1900’s construction, all of them had a set of inner doors between the “vestibule” and main aisle. In addition to heating issues, those doors allowed processions to form in the vestibule without that noise filtering into the main church. Or are you thinking of the currently-fashionable “gathering spaces?” (Which are a lot bigger than the traditional vestibules.)
 
am glad i don’t have to clean all the glass:D mind I soon be sacked unless they didn’t mind streaky glass:D:D
 
The church I grew up attending, which was built in the 1870s, had a small vestibule where you could buy the Sunday paper or a church calendar on the way out, wain in line for the church’s single bathroom to be free, and where the priest and altar boys could assemble for the processional protected from the rain and snow.

Even at the side entrances there were such rooms (not sure if they would properly be called vestibules, too). As Tarpeian Rock mentioned, this was invaluable in insulating the nave and the people in it, as the holy water in these side “vestibules” sometimes froze.

If they were building it from scratch today, I’m sure they’d have a much larger vestibule for various reasons. But I don’t think the extra set or two of doors has much effect on non-Catholics wandering in. If they’ve taken the leap of coming through the first set of doors, they’ll likely follow the flow of people in to the see the sanctuary. Not only that, I suspect the effect on many visitors is enhanced when the sanctuary is insulated from most of the noise and hubbub outside.
 
UnityofTrinity said:
Why are so many new churches have layers of doors and glass doors just to reach the altar? Don’t you think if churches simply design their doors like the old days, with the two big doors leading right into the sanctuary, it would be easier to bring many more inside the Church?
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I think you are using sanctuary like a Prostestant would. For a Catholic, the sanctuary is where the altar is located. The people sit in the nave. The area just outside the nave is the narthex.

As far as why different doors are used, it probably has something to do with architectural history and current practices. The old days had their practices, and we have ours. 🤷
 
I’ve heard people complain about the Church’s teaching on sexuality. The fact there are no woman priests, the Marian devotions, the sacraments, kneeling, Latin, and boring music. I’ve never heard of anyone leaving the Church because of too many doors.
 
Allegra said:
I’ve heard people complain about the Church’s teaching on sexuality. The fact there are no woman priests, the Marian devotions, the sacraments, kneeling, Latin, and boring music. I’ve never heard of anyone leaving the Church because of too many doors.
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😃
 
Extra doors also keep outside noise down. Traffic, dogs barking.

Haven’t yet seen anyone leave because there’s one more door.
 
Splagchnizomai said:
I think you are using sanctuary like a Prostestant would. For a Catholic, the sanctuary is where the altar is located. The people sit in the nave. The area just outside the nave is the narthex.
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I concur.

Perhaps all the glass means someday we will have a parish named ‘Our Lady of Windex’😃

The newer practice likely reflects energy efficiency standards. “Don’t let the door hit you in…”
 
Allegra said:
I’ve heard people complain about the Church’s teaching on sexuality. The fact there are no woman priests, the Marian devotions, the sacraments, kneeling, Latin, and boring music. I’ve never heard of anyone leaving the Church because of too many doors.
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Glad to see I am not the only one to think this is the strangest complaint about the Church that she’s ever seen!

That said, why should it matter how many doors there are in the Church?? Here in New England, those inner doors are quite helpful in insulating the nave from the cold air outside in the winter.
 
I just recently heard a Dominican priest explain how Catholic Church design must meet the need for the vertical and the horizontal. The Church is the House of God displaying the Majesty of God but also an accessibility of approaching God in prayer. He said this is the reason we don’t place the Tabernacle at the front door to have Jesus greet the people coming in. The vestibule is where people can greet each other. The doors between the vestibule and nave give some protection from the noise of the vestibule and sense of prayer in the nave.
 
martininthefiel said:
I concur.

Perhaps all the glass means someday we will have a parish named ‘Our Lady of Windex’😃

The newer practice likely reflects energy efficiency standards. “Don’t let the door hit you in…”
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Don’t laugh. We now own the Crystal Cathedral.
 
I think the layers of doors is practicality of the climate here in North America. In the Philippines some parishes don’t even have doors, just metal gates like that of a prison which they close when the church is not in use. Because it never gets cold, it makes sense really to just let the wind naturally blow through the church halls and cool it.

Here in North America, to keep heating costs down you need the double doors so the heat doesn’t escape out of the building.
 
Double doors are very common in much older buildings also. We were at World Youth day in Spain and toured Fatima in Portugal also. Most of the churches we saw had a small vestiable/narthex with its own inner doors. As others have said, it helps keep the building warm in winter, keeps noise down, keeps street dust and stray dogs out, etc.
 
Keep in mind that for Churches built today, they must comply with the Building Code. It is the Building Code that prescribes the number of exit doors and their width, all based on the number of occupants; i.e., people inside the Church. Also, it is prohibited to have all your exit doors on one side of the Church. They must be spread out.

As far as all the glass, the trend has been to go to larger Gathering Spaces to allow for the assembly of processions and to allow late comers or overflow crowds to be able to see the celebrant, and thanks to speakers, be able to hear what is going on.

If you really want an “education”, just go to your local Parish’s most attended Mass and stand in the back. You will be surprised at how many people arrive just before the Gospel and then leave after Communion.

Also, another trend has been to reduce the size of or eliminate the Cry Room. That is what the enlarged Gathering Space is now used for. In fact the typical situation is that the Mom, the baby, and oldest daughter are in the Gathering Space while the Dad and the other kids are outside with the Dad watching the kids play. That’s what the outdoor speakers are for. 👍
 
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