Is this a Catholic Church or a....?

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Well, I can admit that they get some really awesome lighting effects in it, but if that is a CC…come on :ehh:
 
I don’t know, I think this one would grow on me rather quickly. The more I looked at the pictures the more I liked it. It’s one of Le Corbusier’s most famous designs and reading about it was interesting.

Does a Catholic Church have to look like a Gothic cathedral? I would think being inside this church on a bright sunny day would have one feeling very reverent. It has kneelers, an altar rail, natural lighting, and its design is site & function specific.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notre_Dame_du_Haut
 
I like Le Corbusier’s designs. And, it is a Catholic chapel (in answer to your question).

:harp: :heaven:
 
I think if you were concerned about its denominational value, you could do the research at the diocese site where the church resides.

I think if you are concerned that it is not romanesque or gothic, yet you know it’s a building designated as a Catholic church, you could remind yourself that the term “Catholic” means universal.
 
I like it. It seems to be a simple, more modern approach, but it doesn’t seem to have the same issues that many other modern churches seem to have. It works here.
 
Interesting that it wasn’t built in the “spirit of Vatican II” which it precedes by 10 years. Reading about LeCorbusier’s rationale for his design is an eye opener.
 
Then I suppose this one is insufficiently Catholic:
vhpamuseum.org/vietnam/images/Church2x.jpg
And this one:
consolationtacony.org/
And this one:
pbase.com/olga_nesterowicz/image/11017672

While I prefer certain architecture, what makes a Catholic Church Catholic is the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament somewhere “in the house” and the practices of the pastor and people who are there.
i am immediately in love with that first Church. Based on the URL I figured out that its in Vietnam, and i think its look really reflects the hard working people that would be its members. Its not all gilded and decorated. Its plain, almost dirty looking, but at the same time majestic
 
And the second one is in a sturdy neighborhood in Philadelphia, and the third is in the Loop in Chicago, with not so much as an inch of space between the church and the next building.
 
Yes, apparently so. arch.mcgill.ca/prof/mellin/arch671/winter2000/mchan/precedents/corbu.html

On this page of that site it talks about the Mass and the Virgin Mary …These directed rays of light focus the attention of the worshipper on the altar and the liturgical proceedings during Mass. Light also constantly bathes the wooden statue of the Virgin Mary in its niche, giving it an otherworldly glow from the darkened interior.
arch.mcgill.ca/prof/mellin/arch671/winter2000/mchan/precedents/corbu2.html
 
Why are people so mean against contemporary architecture? I love the design of the building in the OP!

Here is a link to one of my parishes:

holyfamilyrockford.org/Parish/

The pictures are kind of small, but you can see that it’s contemporary. It was built in the 1970s (obviously). And I love it! I find the simplicity and starkness very restful to the eye. It makes it easier for me to concentrate on the Lord during Mass.

A lot of the “decoration” in these modern designs seems to be done with natural light rather than stained glass or large amounts of scupture and paintings. That’s the case in the parish that I linked–there are all kinds of “lighting effects” that were purposefully designed by the architect.

I also love the older parishes.
 
The second one is definitely Catholic. It is in northeast philadelphia where I grew up. It is an Italian parish and if you go inside you will that is very Catholic. They do the Traditional Latin mass there on Sundays.

Eric
Then I suppose this one is insufficiently Catholic:
vhpamuseum.org/vietnam/images/Church2x.jpg
And this one:
consolationtacony.org/
And this one:
pbase.com/olga_nesterowicz/image/11017672

While I prefer certain architecture, what makes a Catholic Church Catholic is the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament somewhere “in the house” and the practices of the pastor and people who are there.
 
The second one is definitely Catholic. It is in northeast philadelphia where I grew up. It is an Italian parish and if you go inside you will that is very Catholic. They do the Traditional Latin mass there on Sundays.

Eric
Yep. And the outside is not Gothic or Romanesque.
Why are people so mean against contemporary architecture? I love the design of the building in the OP!

Here is a link to one of my parishes:

holyfamilyrockford.org/Parish/

The pictures are kind of small, but you can see that it’s contemporary. It was built in the 1970s (obviously). And I love it! I find the simplicity and starkness very restful to the eye. It makes it easier for me to concentrate on the Lord during Mass.

A lot of the “decoration” in these modern designs seems to be done with natural light rather than stained glass or large amounts of scupture and paintings. That’s the case in the parish that I linked–there are all kinds of “lighting effects” that were purposefully designed by the architect.

I also love the older parishes.
I know your parish! It is one of the most vibrant and active in the Diocese of Rockford. I can’t find a clear photo of mine, though I tried. Ours was built in 1964-65, during the Vatican II Council, and at the main entrance has a life-like mosiac of Jesus and St. Peter looking down on Paul VI and the major bishops of VII. The windows depict the 15 mysteries of the roasary in heavy glass of a modernist twist along with St. Dominic receiving the rosary from Our Lady, predominantly in bright blues and oranges. It is really quite lovely and conducive to prayer.

I also tried to find a photo of Santa Maria Del Popolo in Libertyville/ Mundelein. It is red brick with white pillars, very georgian. So is the school across the street. Yet, they pack in all kinds of people of a Sunday.

You must admit, there are some really bad modern architecture churches. One of them that comes to mind was the parish church in Plainfield that was demolished in the Tornado of 1990. It looked like a big white prefab birthday cake. There are also older architecture churches that use too much gilt, too much cement poured out like a birthday cake, and too much color without any restraint.
 
Mass can be held anywhere. While I’m not crazy about that architechure (I know I spelled that wrong) in the first picture, that’s just my personal taste. That doesn’t mean that Church is any less Catholic than a gothic cathedral. One of the most beautiful Masses I attended was held outside! In a huge tent with about 1,300 people. Another beautiful one was in a basketball stadium! With roughly 2,400 people in attendance. Rows and rows of brothers and sisters, hundreds of priests, quite a few bishiops and even representation from the Vatican. Another one was simple and quiet with maybe twenty people including the priest in a tiny chapel. And another was in a huge, beautiful cathedral in DC. With so many people, there wasn’t even enough room for everyone, we had to sit in the chapel below, and even then there wasn’t enough pews for so many people so we had to sit on the floor. It’s not about the building, it’s about what goes on inside it.
 
I believe that this French church, which is a big tourist attraction there, was constructed for the Smurfic Eparchy. In reference to another thread, I believe they are allowed to use blue vestments . . .
 
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