Blog Post #6
Having been put through public schools from K-12, my church has always been an interesting point of community, faith, and self-reflection in my life. For a lot of my peers (both at Notre Dame and my church), schooling and faith were intertwined. Points of worship were not simply just that, but rather they were points of education and part of their everyday life. While that’s changed since attending Notre Dame, the lectures and material for this course have really given me a new appreciation for my hometown church, St. Giles.
Located in Oak Park, Illinois, St. Giles church is warm and inviting, yet grand and awe-inspiring. In terms of what historical form the church represents, I had to ask my Father who is thankfully an architect (‘90). It is more modern in the sense that it takes on multiple styles, but I think a more accurate description would be that it represents Spanish and Neo-Byzantine architecture. Though the building itself isn’t dome shaped, there is a dome structure within the church that is at the focal, which envelopes the Altar. Furthermore, as Professor O’Malley described in the lectures, it is “decidedly not gothic.” The colors within the building are bright and predominantly red and gold. For me, it’s interesting now to understand the purposeful style behind some of the building’s colors (which appeared dated and dull prior to its restoration and these lectures) or shapes. It offers a historical beauty and understanding of the church that I believe heightens its value as a place of worship.
More structurally, the building’s spatial dynamics resemble a very classic sacramental church design. As can be seen in the attached photo, the building uses high ceilings, ornate marble columns, two clear and symmetrical sections of pews, and an altar focal point to usher its congregation into a classical mode of worship. That is, by the force and nature of the church, we are reminded of God’s grandeur and beauty. The symmetrical nature of the church hones the participant’s focus on the centerfold, ornate marble altar, which is enveloped by a tall dome. In terms of procession, the church is divided into two equal sections of pews and columns, and worship is an orderly process. As Kieckhefer describes, “all things flow out from God and return to God; the worshipping soul turns to God in prayer and returns into the world” (27). I think the clearest procession that emphasizes this concept is communion. During communion each side goes up in one line down the center aisle towards the altar to accept the Eucharist and returns underneath the bright and colorful arches to their pew. The building, like the Eucharist, ushers us into God’s materiality and presence. The simplicity and symmetrical structure push the participants gaze to the center, which holds both the altar and large hanging image of the Crucifixion. It is intentional and beautiful that we should focus on Christ’s sacrifice as we are about to receive it. After receiving the Eucharist, churchgoers return underneath brightly colored arches (they follow a pattern of red, green, and blue, which offers another example of order) and a series of beautiful stained glass towards their pews. That is, after receiving Christ, we are enveloped in his beauty. We are drawn into his presence, offered a glimpse window into the light of redemption, and “by the grace of God, I (we) can be transported from this inferior to that higher world.” (De Administratione, XXXIII). It makes sense from a processional perspective that we would be entering into this light after receiving the Eucharist. Additionally, the stories, parables, or other worldly themes on the windows offer the viewer a substantive way to continue practicing their faith and contemplation. It is fitting that this contemplation is presented as the participant is leaving the altar and “returns into the world.” Ultimately, the spatial dynamics of the building aim to offer a complete, whole worship experience, and accentuate only to invoke contemplation about God’s awe and Christ’s sacrifice.
Beyond its structure, St. Giles also uses aesthetics, ornament, and decoration to enhance the worship experience. As I mentioned before, the church takes on a very warm ambiance with its use of red and gold that invite the viewer into the building. The ceiling is painted with the same bright colors that appear underneath the arches and showcases ornate gold patterns that accentuate the grand, mystic purpose for those high ceilings: to give the participant a view of heaven. As McNamara describes, “Decoration is a poetic expression of structure, one which gives knowledge of things beyond the mere facts of engineering by beautifully revealing the forces of nature that would otherwise be invisible” (91). It is the bright, ornate nature of the ceiling that emphasizes its height and gives it a heavenly expression. Another great example is the marble and ornamented columns that line the aisles. Stylistic by nature because of their marble, these columns uphold the arches and ultimately the church. They also have gold ornaments at the top that emphasize their engineered ingenuity and purpose to “reveal the nature of things as they appear in a restored, perfected, and redeemed world” (McNamara, 101). Though we take it for granted today, it truly is a wonder that we can apply our knowledge to uphold such heavy and grand buildings. The grandness of St. Giles or any church, made possible by the columns and ceilings, is really about presenting a space in which we can experience an almost inhuman perfection. Like McNamara argues, it makes sense to hold onto this majestic, classical form of church because it is representative of the divine. Churches aren’t about utility or anything else related to our human notions of the world, but rather about elevating our worship in an attempt to experience God’s perfect world.
This week’s lectures and readings really made me feel grateful and tethered to my place of worship. Though I would’ve liked to discuss some of the Church’s symbols, online resources for viewing the church are very limited and my memory is admittedly lacking. Still, what I’ve covered has garnered respect and admiration for something I have taken for granted for as long as I can remember. Ultimately, I am glad I took the time to analyze and appreciate the church, and I think there is something to be said about the communal aspect of admiration. As parishioners, we are brought together by a respect for our place of worship. Though I’m somewhat ashamed I didn’t fully realize this before, Churches should be used and understood as places of worship with a tremendous amount of pride and respect.
