Your idea, in an image, of noble simplicity?

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As we know, Sacrosanctum Concilium called for noble simplicty in the liturgical rites. My question is, what do you think a church built to complement this liturgical ideal looks like? Please share an image. This is mine:



It is the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Baltimore. I find it very beautiful, all while being very simple. I do not think every church should look like this–for that would be FAR too much beige!–but I think this is a great architectural example of noble simplicity. It is very balanced.
 
Looks very protestant to me somehow. I think it’s the style of the architecture.
 
triumphguy said:
Looks very protestant to me somehow. I think it’s the style of the architecture.
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I would agree that it looks perhaps a bit like a traditional pre-1950sish mainline church, but I find that it works quite well for a Catholic church. I think it looks Protestant by correlation, not by causation. I mean, this church isn’t exactly new.

This church, to me, looks very American. It looks like the White House adapted for Church use. The color palette is… I don’t know… radiant. The red and gold decoration of the throne and pulpit are almost presidential looking, as in the gathered drapery. One thing I might use a bit more of is the blue accent coloring.

In my own Diocese, in Charleston (aka “Church City”), there is an absolutely ginormous number of Protestant churches built in a traditional idiom. They are very beautiful, in an antebellum low-church Protestant kind of way. But then there is also an absolutely ginormous number of Catholic churches built in the same (minus the auditorium/circus style arrangement).
 
I’m still looking for something that exemplifies my idea of noble simplicity in Catholic architecture:

Noble - shape, scope, materials and craftsmanship
Simplicity - design, colour.
Catholic
 
Our parish is quite simple…Don’t know how “noble” but then I think that it is our King that makes the space noble…
I also like it because it was built just about the same time, and in the same diocese, as the Church I made my first communion and my confirmation in. It looks very much like my old parish Church - which as since been remodeled…😦 Anyway - here it is…

http://www.sttm.org/Portals/0/Staff/Copy of Church 01.jpg

We also have a lovely old Church for our weekly EF mass downtown…

http://www.sacredheartchurchcincinnati.com/SacredHeartWebsite-Middle_copy.jpg

I just love the old Churches…

Peace
James
 
triumphguy said:
ewww:blush:
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Oh dear. I would say that perhaps we could do with fewer items at the front of the church, and less color. It certainly is not a grand church of Europe, or the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington D.C. (Err, these churches were built by immigrants, who perhaps didn’t have the most accomplished architects among them…although still not bad compared to some of the modern churches popping up today.)

What I like about it is the use of the curving lines behind the alter, which is repeated at the top of each window, interior arches, and the ceiling–can’t be seen from this picture. The repetition draws one’s eye upward, and one’s mind upward too. 😉 The positioning of the windows also allows for a great deal of light to pour in from the upper parts of the church–this to me is lovely as well as symbolic.
 
daisybee said:
Oh dear. I would say that perhaps we could do with fewer items at the front of the church, and less color. It certainly is not a grand church of Europe, or the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington D.C. (Err, these churches were built by immigrants, who perhaps didn’t have the most accomplished architects among them…although still not bad compared to some of the modern churches popping up today.)

What I like about it is the use of the curving lines behind the alter, which is repeated at the top of each window, interior arches, and the ceiling–can’t be seen from this picture. The repetition draws one’s eye upward, and one’s mind upward too. 😉 The positioning of the windows also allows for a great deal of light to pour in from the upper parts of the church–this to me is lovely as well as symbolic.
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I’m sorry - I’m just not used to that amount of ornamentation.:o

However I did look up the “Painted Churches of Texas” and some of them are quite beautiful: and there is nothing wrong with local faithful doing the best they can with the materials they have. I’m sure in God’s eyes that’s as meritorious as the Sistine Chapel.

Being an English Catholic you get used to Churches that were stripped and denuded in the Reformation, so the ancient Churches and Cathedrals would have been colourful with far more statues than you see now. This stripped look, which must have been shocking in its day, became the new norm.

A benefit though, is that the structure is far more obvious without all the ornamentation.
 
Unfortunately no “inside” shots.

I like monastic simplicity myself.

Here’s a fairly simple one:D

(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)

Just kidding with that one;)

How about this: Cisterican Abbey in Otterberg



Clean, uncluttered, clearly lit, “noble” materials - hand carved stone.
 
YoungTradCath said:
As we know, Sacrosanctum Concilium called for noble simplicty in the liturgical rites. My question is, what do you think a church built to complement this liturgical ideal looks like? Please share an image. This is mine:

http://ncronline.org/sites/default/files/styles/article_slideshow/public/stories/images/Homily.jpg

It is the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Baltimore. I find it very beautiful, all while being very simple. I do not think every church should look like this–for that would be FAR too much beige!–but I think this is a great architectural example of noble simplicity. It is very balanced.
Click to expand...
Looks very Protestant to me, where is any altar? I had to look twice to see a bishop, and one statue.
 
And just for the record, I don’t advocate noble simplicity as the only architectural paradigm.
 
YoungTradCath said:
And just for the record, I don’t advocate noble simplicity as the only architectural paradigm.
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Out of interest, what do you really like?

I have been to Churches that literally took my breath away, To worship regularly in such a place would be wonderful.
 
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