Return to Traditional Furnishings/Architecture

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I’ve noticed various stories in the past few years about new churches being built that return to more traditional architecture and also of renovation projects that aim to accomplish the same goal, as well as church furnishings that are more traditional as well. The most recent that I have come across can be found here: Carmelites to Renovate Chapel

I think it’s great that they’re trying to make their chapel beautiful once again and are replacing the bare-bones one that they had for so many decades. Does anyone else have stories of recent projects like this? Links? Sites?
 
I’m sorry if I don’t have any links but I love old churches. I wish they would return to having saint statues and stained glass etc… like before. So beautiful.
 
I think the bad architecture was just part of our now-resolving identity crisis.

My favorite architect for great Catholic new construction and also renovations is Duncan Stroik. stroik.com/portfolio/ Fantastic stuff he does, extremely beautiful.
 
YoungTradCath said:
I think the bad architecture was just part of our now-resolving identity crisis.

My favorite architect for great Catholic new construction and also renovations is Duncan Stroik. stroik.com/portfolio/ Fantastic stuff he does, extremely beautiful.
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If you haven’t look at the link I provided, please do so. Duncan Stroik is the one responsible for renovating the Carmelites’ chapel. I’ve looked at his site before and, yes, he does beautiful work. We need more people like him helping out!
 
Yes, I saw his proposed reno. Fantastic concept. Ad orientem altar? Uh, yes!
 
I have seen several websites from people on here on new parishes being built, and I’m finally glad we are getting our Catholic identity back!
One of the parishes in my town is getting ready to start building a new building and they are blending Byzantine and Roman influences in together, I dont have a picture of the rendoring…but it is BEAUTIFUL! it’s going to have amber colored columns along with aged lookin walls I believe.

This is the parish my family belonged to in Memphis, its the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception…this is after the renovation from 2006-7 I belive??
 
Interesting article here:

sacredarchitecture.org/articles/church_restoration_renovation_the_third_millennium/

St. Mary’s, the diocesan Cathedral in Colorado Springs, has such BEAUTIFUL potential. Of course, it’s marred by modernist-junk architecture at the moment. Thank GOD they didn’t rip out all the older furnishings.

The font: (first time I walked in, I spent 3 minutes looking for an actual font, not this stupid thing):


A better view of the potential (Altar needs to go back to the wall as the beautiful display behind the Celebrant just drives home the point of “hey Fr., not looking at you!”)


better view from a wedding; perspective in these photos is off. The Altar is much further from the wall in person:
http://www.caytonphotography.com/images/uploads/stmaryscathedralwedding.jpg

I swear, stuff like this is like listening to someone sample Etta James, throwing a bunch of electronic noise over it, and maintaining it’s “soul” music.
 
Here’s another restoration that I came across that was completed in 2011. It’s the Cathedral of the diocese of Sioux Falls, S.D., St. Joseph’s. It’s another project done by Duncan Stroik. There’s an article and a video at the following link.

Restoration of Sioux Falls cathedral
 
NorthTexan88 said:
I have seen several websites from people on here on new parishes being built, and I’m finally glad we are getting our Catholic identity back!
One of the parishes in my town is getting ready to start building a new building and they are blending Byzantine and Roman influences in together, I dont have a picture of the rendoring…but it is BEAUTIFUL! it’s going to have amber colored columns along with aged lookin walls I believe.

This is the parish my family belonged to in Memphis, its the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception…this is after the renovation from 2006-7 I belive??
Click to expand...
Not my cup of tea stylistically, but I do highly appreciate this compared to the hideousness out there.
The_Curt_Jester said:
Here’s another restoration that I came across that was completed in 2011. It’s the Cathedral of the diocese of Sioux Falls, S.D., St. Joseph’s. It’s another project done by Duncan Stroik. There’s an article and a video at the following link.

Restoration of Sioux Falls cathedral
Click to expand...
Yes, I’ve read/seen all about this one. One of the best renovations I’ve seen, rather, restorations. Did you see what they did to it in the 1970s? They covered the whole ceiling with coral pink paint and removed the chandeliers and confessionals and put in a grey floor!
 
YoungTradCath said:
Yes, I’ve read/seen all about this one. One of the best renovations I’ve seen, rather, restorations. Did you see what they did to it in the 1970s? They covered the whole ceiling with coral pink paint and removed the chandeliers and confessionals and put in a grey floor!
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In my quick search I only found pictures of it post-restoration or during restoration so I didn’t have the pleasure of seeing the pink ceiling!

The marble pillars reminded me of this, though: Remmert Studios It’s a fairly local business that focuses in church furnishings. I liked the “marblized” wood effect in those pictures. It’s a technique that (as far as I remember) Duncan Stroik had used in one project to decrease the cost while still getting the proper look. Unfortunately, many of the people who commission that business for work don’t have our views on what’s appropriate for a church!
 
The_Curt_Jester said:
Here’s another restoration that I came across that was completed in 2011. It’s the Cathedral of the diocese of Sioux Falls, S.D., St. Joseph’s. It’s another project done by Duncan Stroik. There’s an article and a video at the following link.

Restoration of Sioux Falls cathedral
Click to expand...
I really like Stroik’s work. I also like the work of Henry Menzies. hmenzies.com/
I am particularly impressed with the tabernacle shown on his site. Reminds me of the “Holy of Holies”, and if you study it, you see why. The more I look at it, the more I like it.

One of his specialties is retrofitting ugly, modernistic churches and chapels. Not pictured is one of the ones I like best. He was asked to put a chapel in a building in NYC for an Opus Dei school. I think the building was six stories high…just an office building. He cut out a segment of at least two floors and integrated it all into what seems almost like a cathedral setting within the school building without destroying its utility as a school. Just amazing!

Guys like Stroik and Menzies have their work cut out for them. Lots of ugly churches out there that will someday be redone when people return to sanity.
 
YoungTradCath said:
I think the bad architecture was just part of our now-resolving identity crisis.

My favorite architect for great Catholic new construction and also renovations is Duncan Stroik. stroik.com/portfolio/ Fantastic stuff he does, extremely beautiful.
Click to expand...
I really liked his MIdwestern Church. It nicely combined the best of modern and the older architecture to provide some of the grandeur of the older churches and the accessibility of the newer one. I especially liked how the Blessed Sacrament Chapel was behind the main church area.

It appeared to have the tabernacle accessible from both sides. It appears that the Sacred Presence would be in the main body of the church. I really miss that when entering a modern church. It just seems that somethng is missing, and someone is.

The midwest church I grew up in had a corridor behind the altar area where the Blessed Sacrament could be obtained through another door there. That was so Viaticum could be obtained by one of the other priests if Mass was going on. It was italianate in design and was really beautiful even though we were a very small community. In the summer, you could stop in for a visit, see the red light burning and know Jesus was present. It was cool after the summer heat, with the smell of candle wax and incense permeating the walls such that you could breathe deeply and know you were in a Holy Place.

All this being said, the most beautiful thing was all the people there attending Mass together, people that ranged from the newborn to the quite elderly. We knew each others quirks. Now that community would be hard-pressed to build a similar church due to cost. I wish I knew what happened to all the statuary, etc, that used to be there.
 
Yes indeed. Stroik combines the best all-traditional architecture with the building and form technology of our modern day. So while his churches are very functional, they are extremely beautiful. That is the balance that needs to be struck everywhere, but sadly few parishes demand it.
 
The_Curt_Jester said:
I’ve noticed various stories in the past few years about new churches being built that return to more traditional architecture and also of renovation projects that aim to accomplish the same goal, as well as church furnishings that are more traditional as well. The most recent that I have come across can be found here: Carmelites to Renovate Chapel

I think it’s great that they’re trying to make their chapel beautiful once again and are replacing the bare-bones one that they had for so many decades. Does anyone else have stories of recent projects like this? Links? Sites?
Click to expand...
Be careful what you call bare bones.

This is a Benedictine monastery built in 1946. This type of “Bare bones” architecture was common throughout the history of our Church, as far back as the 6th century.



The “Bare Bones” architecuture is a return to Augustinian and Benedictine monastic traditions more than it is an innovation.

-Tim-
 
K well, let’s not blend religious tradition with secular parish tradition. Religious traditions should not be shoved on parishes, and parish traditions should not be shoved on religious. I think we’ve had a bit too much religious tradition shoved on parishes, just as before VII too much parish tradition was shoved on religious.

I think too many times we pretend we’re Franciscans. Nothing against Franciscans, but we are not Franciscans.
 
There’s a parish near here that a friend refers to as “St. John (pause) the Baptist Church”, they moved the altar so the praise team can be up front and they bring their RCIA candidates to our parish so they can see what a Catholic church looks like. I pray they renovate!
 
About all that has been done locally was to move the tabernacless from blessed Sacrament chapels where Our Lord was hidden, to their proper place. front and center.

At least that is some progess esp in a poor Hispanic majority diocese.
 
andrewstx said:
About all that has been done locally was to move the tabernacless from blessed Sacrament chapels where Our Lord was hidden, to their proper place. front and center.

At least that is some progess esp in a poor Hispanic majority diocese.
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It’s a small step, but at least one in the right direction.
 
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