Making a space liturgical and beautiful. . .

As I have often said here and in other places, we are battling a recent legacy of a less is more as a principle for architecture and liturgical design.  The ideal for much of our recent past is plain form with minimal adornment.  The focus of the design is on the people more than the God who is the object of the worship that takes place there.  Further, worship itself was largely seen in didactic terms with preaching or what passes for preaching being the center of it all.  Even when there has been theological and liturgical renewal to refresh the former ideas with the best of the past, we are too often stuck with buildings from that era that do very little to aid and assist the liturgical worship that is now taking place within those structures.

I ran across an example of a Roman Catholic parish which had purchased a building built by and formerly used by an Assembly of God congregation.  I am not sure that there are many greater contrasts than what happens in a Mass and what happens in an Assembly of God service.  In this case, the congregation did not rebuild the building but acclimated this structure to accomplish its new purpose and it did so on a limited budget and yet very effectively.  You can look at the before and after photos.

The original structure was minimally impacted with a crucifix, altar, and tabernacle but it is clear that these were added and they looked very temporary.  I do not fault them for trying but it is clear that the principles of the Assembly of God worship predominated over the Mass.  However, the after photo shows that the building has been transformed without major structural change.  It is now clearly a chancel designed to house the liturgical worship that takes place there.  It is remarkable how this was done so effectively and yet economically.  I commend those who led this change.

The tones in the original structure are bland and very one dimensional.  The space, though tall, seems flat and the focus of the space is very close to the ground.  It is easy to see a pulpit in place of the altar in the photo.  The need here was to frame what was the central focus and function of the space and to raise the attention of the eye heavenward.  The photo shows how an earth tone (read that dirty) carpeted flooring not only anchors the space but pulls the focus downward and unites the altar area with the nave as if there were not distinctions of space or function.  The wood is warm but the wood is not allowed to be a full part of this; it is an afterthought and tangential to the overall picture.

The after photo shows not only how the altar has been framed by a reredos and the crucifix emphasized but suddenly the wood becomes a full partner in this design.  The agency of this change is the floor.  The dull and dirty look of the previous flooring has given way to a floor which is not simply better but a part of the design and functions to draw the eye right up to the altar and even higher to the crucifix and higher.  The rail is not simply a marker of the division of the two spaces but a liturgical element in the design.  Another small change is the switch from a colonial brass chandelier to lights more typical to a traditional and liturgical space.  Yet this is the key, the space, while traditional, is thoroughly modern in the best sense of that term.  I am very impressed.  I have posted other examples of such a transformation (including Lutheran ones!)  Hopefully, there will be many more examples to which I might turn your attention.  By the way, if you have examples, send me the photos and stories!