Traditional & Modern Sacred Architecture
In this episode of The Catholic Gentleman podcast, hosts John Heinan and Sam Guzman interview architect Rafael Morales on the distinctive features of sacred architecture. They take up these questions:
Is traditional church design greater than modern?
What makes a church beautiful?
How is the sense of the sacred built into churches?
Do ugly churches undermine the faith?
What specific architectural principles, design features, and aesthetic choices best contribute to fostering a sense of the transcendent and holy?
Morales offers many pragmatic observations for church architecture, some of which I've compiled below.
When you enter Church, it should feel like you're entering a different world. "A beautiful church," Morales claims, "needs no explanation.”
Classical church design with tall linear spaces supported by pillars represents that the church is built on the apostles and directs the worshippers attention upward to the Light.
A church is never finished — a parish’s permanent, joyful, and sacred obligation is to continue to beautify it.
Churches should give privilege to constructing with natural materials. Morales argues, "A stone does not meet its full potential until it is used for a church; a flower never reaches its full potential until it adorns an altar."
A church should echo; when footfalls are loud, it reminds one that every step is a step on hallowed ground.
Churches and Christians must embrace their role as tastemakers for the broader culture. They must not simply reflect the dominant tastes back to culture.
Architecture reflects the ills of society.
If you’re interested in further exploration, Morales hosts his own podcast on church architecture, entitled Beauty Ever New, which you can stream on Apple or Google Podcasts.
