Architecture 101: Catherine and Siena

“Do not be satisfied with little things, because God wants great things!” Catherine of Siena – Letter T127 29 April is the feast of Catherine of Siena, OP, a Doctor of the Church, a Dominican, and the force behind the restoration of the Papacy to Rome following the “Babylonian Captivity” in Avignon. Siena has a [...]

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Architecture 101: 1400 Years as a Catholic Church

Thanks to Thomas Peters at American Papist, here is a great video of a Mass held last year at a church in Rome. But this is not just any church, and not just any occasion. This is a Solemn High Mass celebrated in the Pantheon of Rome to celebrate the 1400th anniversary of its consecration [...]

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Architecture 101: Nave

nave (nāv) noun In religious architecture, the part of a church between the side aisles, extending from the chancel to the principal entrance, thereby forming the main part of the building. NOT Images of the Holy Trinity Nave: Nave Records (according to Wikipedia) Longest nave in England: St Albans Cathedral, St Albans (Anglican), 350 ft. Longest [...]

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Architecture 101: The Tympanum

Tympanum n., pl. -na [Medieval Latin, from Latin, drum, from Greek tumpanon.] In Architecture: a. The ornamental recessed space or panel enclosed by the cornices of a triangular pediment. b. A similar space between an arch and the lintel of a portal or window. Our new design has three new spaces that we can consider [...]

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The Sanctuary of Divine Mercy

Today we celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday. In the early 1930’s, Sister Maria Faustina Kowalska of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy in Poland recorded many revelations about Christ. In 2000, Pope John Paul II recognized Sister Faustina, and declared the Sunday after Easter to be Divine Mercy Sunday. He also decreed [...]

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Eight Historic Italian Churches

8 Wonderfully Distinctive Historical Churches in Italy: Awe-Inspiring Architecture, Byzantine to Baroque On the WebUrbanist blog, Lauren Axelrod has a quick photo tour of eight beautiful churches in Italy. The styles range from Byzantine to Baroque. Click the image above to link. The eight churches are: St. Peter’s Basilica (Vatican City) San Pietro in Vincoli [...]

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Architecture 101: CAD and ChurchBuilder

Architects live and breathe with their Computer Aided Drafting (CAD) software. CAD allows the architect to quickly and accurately record an idea, and then easily modify it. The best CAD software has components to render the design in three dimension. What would take a high-end supercomputer during the 80′s is now easily available for desktop [...]

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Architecture 101: Romanesque, Sant’Ambrosio

But apart from the sanitation, the medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, the fresh-water system, and public health, what HAVE the Romans ever done for us? – Monty Python’s Life of Brian Romanesque is the “Roman style” of architecture. Heavily influenced by the building technology of the time, Romanesque style features straight lines, long [...]

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Architecture 101: Romans, New Romans, Goths and Pearls

The Catholic Church has built churches in many different styles over the last two thousand years. All of these styles have evolved in an attempt to glorify God and to provide a sacred space for worship. Some styles have even been revived a few times. The next installments of Architecture 101 will review four distinct [...]

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BLS on the Congregation’s Area

From Built of Living Stones (BLS), some details about the nave: The Congregation’s Area: § 51 § The space within the church building for the faithful other than the priest celebrant and the ministers is sometimes called the nave. This space is critical in the overall plan because it accommodates a variety of ritual actions: [...]

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