Over the past decades, modern church architecture, not unlike church music, has been notoriously uninspiring. Airplane hanger-like constructions, fan-shaped congregational seating and bizarre stained glass have dominated worship space in the last sixty years. One author could not help but title his critique “Ugly as Sin.” However, Church architecture is changing. American Catholics are demanding … Read more
Modernists like to manipulate words, often “spinning” them into meanings that appear simple but are relatively obscure. For example, consider the modern misuse of the terms like “accompaniment,” “social justice,” or even “woke.” Such is not the case with the architectural style known as “brutalism.” The Architecture of Despair Merriam-Webster defines brutal using the words … Read more
One of the delights of going to Holy Mass in a place which one has never before visited is the discovery of the church building itself. There is an inexpressible joy in walking into a traditionally decorated Catholic church for the first time. The Gothic architecture draws the eye heavenward. The stained glass fills the … Read more
Augustus Welby Pugin was the son of a French noble and architect who went to England during the French Revolution of 1789. Born in London on March 1, 1812, his mother reared him in strict Calvinist fashion. In 1834, at the age of 19, Augustus discovered medieval art and became a Catholic. He wrote: “I … Read more
