Pew Organization

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Laura15

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Do you believe that you are far more distracted in a church that constructs its pews so that the seats are a half circle in front of the altar and that you are practically looking across at someone else?
Do you prefer the traditional layout of the church? Down the center, with a wing on each side, like the shape of a cross.
 
Cruciform churches are the best. These arena-style things are awful, and cause the mind to wander. I am so glad that when I saw the plans for my new church, that it was cruciform in design with a belfry.
 
The traditional organization of the pews actually had the congregation face each other.
 
Cruciform churches are the best. These arena-style things are awful, and cause the mind to wander. I am so glad that when I saw the plans for my new church, that it was cruciform in design with a belfry.
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So lucky. Our parish just completed a new 5 million dollar “church in the round.” It is beautiful, but I miss the symbolism inherent in a cruciform plan.
 
This half-theatre circular style is repugnant. It’s one of the fruits of those who claim to be working with the “spirit of VII” or read one of the many ambiguous statements and take liberty with it]. Those new designs make the priest seem more of a performer and make the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass seem more of a “Lords supper” where everybody is la-de-da happy clappy lets all hold hands. They completely miss the theology of the Mass, the role of the priest and what it means for a layperson to ‘assist’ at a Mass.
 
BooTheEngineer said:
The traditional organization of the pews actually had the congregation face each other.
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My understanding is that what you describe aren’t pews as we have them today, but choir stalls for monks who chanted the Office antiphonally. Traditionally, there were no pews at all for the laity - pews as today are a relatively recent innovation I believe.
 
This is one of the burrs in my saddle. Architects are supposedly comprehend form following function. If we’ve gathered together to worship God in the sacrifice of the mass, why the heck have they arranged us so that we are looking all these people we know in the face? It’s almost beyond human nature to stay focused on the mass when there are interesting people to look at instead! Who DOESN’T realize how interesting/fun people watching is?

I can’t see how this trend could have come about if the architects both comprehended and believed in what is happening on the altar and wanted people to focus on that. I can’t think of an architecturally BETTER way of intentionally distracting people from the altar. No wonder many suspect that that’s precisely the point…
 
There is a lot to be said about the “round style”.

It enables the people to see and hear the liturgy better by allowing more of the faithful to sit closer.

In addition, the round can make it easier and quicker for the people to enter and exit, including situation where there might be a fire or other emergencies. For various reasons, churches of all types seem particularly suspectible to fires. And the people are also able to park their cars closer when a round church sits in the middle of a parking lot.

As far as being distracted, I’d say its distracting being in the transepts of a cruciform built church.
 
Tarpeian_Rock said:
Traditionally, there were no pews at all for the laity - pews as today are a relatively recent innovation I believe.
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Actually that is quite true.

I believe our protestant friends invented the pew, as an accommodation after they had previously invented the long sermon.
 
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