What is your favourite form of Church Architecture?

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  1. churches like St. Patrick’s Cathedral in NYC - French Gothic? and 2) baroque like post #1
 
I love Gothic architecture!!! 👍

I had the good fortune to be able to travel in Central Europe for a couple weeks last summer. Cologne Cathedral in Köln, Germany was the most beautiful church I’ve ever seen.

My list of favorites:
  1. Gothic (Köln)
  2. American Gothic revival (St. Patrick’s, NYC)
  3. Byzantine
  4. Spanish Colonial (Mission Basilica, San Juan Capistrano, CA)
  5. Modern (not most actually, but I think Our Lady Queen of Angels in Newport Beach, CA is beautiful in a very modest, simple way.)
I didn’t like the Baroque churches in Vienna at all…too ostentatious. But the Polish version of Baroque is very lovely.
 
I love Mission Revival because such structures are maintainable. Some of these gingerbread fancy-schmanzy churches end-up falling down because they take too many resources to maintain.
 
Except for its price and some of its furnishings, this place is really growing on me:

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/...thedral-of-our-lady-of-the-angels-wp-gfdl.jpg
(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)

I didn’t really think too much of it until I celebrated the Mass in it and then it sorta hit me. Many church buildings are works of art in themselves. This building is all about presenting the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass as the absolute ultimate and divine work of art to man.
 
Spiller said:
I love Mission Revival because such structures are maintainable. Some of these gingerbread fancy-schmanzy churches end-up falling down because they take too many resources to maintain.
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Maintenance costs are worth every penny!
 
Spiller said:
Except for its price and some of its furnishings, this place is really growing on me:

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/...thedral-of-our-lady-of-the-angels-wp-gfdl.jpg

http://www.terragalleria.com/images/us-ca/usca35329.jpeg

I didn’t really think too much of it until I celebrated the Mass in it and then it sorta hit me. Many church buildings are works of art in themselves. This building is all about presenting the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass as the absolute ultimate and divine work of art to man.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately, spectacular as it is in “real life” it does NOT photograph well.
 
Spiller said:
Except for its price and some of its furnishings, this place is really growing on me:

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/...thedral-of-our-lady-of-the-angels-wp-gfdl.jpg
http://www.terragalleria.com/images/us-ca/usca35329.jpeg

I didn’t really think too much of it until I celebrated the Mass in it and then it sorta hit me. Many church buildings are works of art in themselves. This building is all about presenting the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass as the absolute ultimate and divine work of art to man.
Click to expand...
Where is the Tabernacle?
 
SJP said:
Maintenance costs are worth every penny!
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Not really. Often the maintenance costs cannot be met.

It’s so sad that so many “ethnic” Catholic parish churches are being abandoned in parts of the USA. No priests to staff them, no faithful to fill the pews or pay for their maintenance.

If they were simpler (yet no less glorious) buildings, perhaps they could more easily be “moth-balled” for future generations. As it is, many will be lost.
 
SJP said:
Where is the Tabernacle?
Click to expand...
As in many big, public, tourist attraction churches, where the Sacrament could easily be disrespected by hordes of people who have no idea what the Blessed Sacrament is and how it should be treated, the Sacrament in OLA is reserved in its own chapel outside the nave. OK: you have to be looking for it, but it is virtually soundproof and very intimate. It is truly a place for prayer.
 
SJP said:
Where is the Tabernacle?
Click to expand...
To the right of the altar in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel. The chapel is lit by a shaft of natural light from several stories above. It’s a gorgeous setting and it’s in full compliance with the GIRM:

*GIRM315. It is more in keeping with the meaning of the sign that the tabernacle in which the Most Holy Eucharist is reserved not be on an altar on which Mass is celebrated. Consequently, it is preferable that the tabernacle be located, according to the judgment of the Diocesan Bishop,

a. Either in the sanctuary, apart from the altar of celebration, in a form and place more appropriate, not excluding on an old altar no longer used for celebration;

b. Or even **in some chapel suitable for the faithful’s private adoration and prayer and which is organically connected to the church and readily visible to the Christian faithful.
Even more important, it is a far more suitable location for the Blessed Sacrament as thousands of visitors/tourists pass through the cathedral each day. It’s a nice place to stop and pray before the Blessed Sacrament.
 
Spiller said:
Not really. Often the maintenance costs cannot be met.

It’s so sad that so many “ethnic” Catholic parish churches are being abandoned in parts of the USA. No priests to staff them, no faithful to fill the pews or pay for their maintenance.

If they were simpler (yet no less glorious) buildings, perhaps they could more easily be “moth-balled” for future generations. As it is, many will be lost.
Click to expand...
The fact that Churches are closing across the US has to do with plenty more than maintenance costs.

If there are no Priests or parishioners, it could be difficult to maintain any structure. So the argument about maintenance is useless.
 
mercygate said:
As in many big, public, tourist attraction churches, where the Sacrament could easily be disrespected by hordes of people who have no idea what the Blessed Sacrament is and how it should be treated, the Sacrament in OLA is reserved in its own chapel outside the nave. OK: you have to be looking for it, but it is virtually soundproof and very intimate. It is truly a place for prayer.
Click to expand...
Not really. As you enter the main ambulatory (entrance) it’s to your right. I agree with your comments about the soundproofing and the intimacy of the space though. One would not think of talking in that chapel.

Not until someone spends some time in prayer and attends a Mass or two will they truly appreciate the OLAC.
 
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