Why Romanesque?
Over ten years the architects, the pastor and the building committee have consulted with the congregation at OLR and we all agree that we would like to build a church in a traditional style.
But what does ‘traditional style’ mean? There are two approaches to building a church in a ‘traditional style’. One is to build with a steel structure which is then decorated in the interior with traditional effects like arches and columns. However, the arches and columns will be cosmetic. They won’t really hold up the walls. They’re just for decoration.
The second way to build in a ‘traditional style’ is to not only build a church that looks traditional, but to build a church in a traditional way. That is to say, to build with certain ancient principles in mind which make the church traditional not only cosmetically, but in every aspect from the ground up.
To build a traditional church in this way is to follow four basic principles:
Beautiful Proportions
What makes a traditional church beautiful is not the decoration, but the proportions. By proportions we mean the relationship between the height, width, depth and length. Beautiful proportions in a church are pleasing to the human eye in a very deep way. The proper proportions are determined by 2000 years of church history, which itself, is rooted in the principles or architecture we have inherited from the Romans and Greeks. Therefore to build a traditional church we need to start with beautiful proportions.
Integrity of Method and Materials
This means that the are used with honesty and integrity that is both simple and profound. Put simply, if there is a pillar it holds up an arch. If there is an arch, it holds up the wall above it. If there is a window it is to provide light. The effect of this integrity of method and materials on the worshipper is that they feel they are in a ‘real’ building. They feel that the building has an inner strength and permanence which they associate with their faith--which has inner integrity, purpose and permanence.
Use of Contemporary Materials
A church should be built with materials that are local to the place and consistent with the time they are built. In Greenville, South Carolina we build with cement, cement block and brick. Therefore these are the materials we should use. The Church should be designed to use these local materials for the sake of simplicity, economy and integrity of purpose.
A Unique Church
With the above principles in mind we should be seeking to build a church which is unique to our parish, our time and our place. We are not simply building a replica of old churches we like. Instead, based on the historical principles outlined here we are building a new and unique church for our parish.
If we are building a traditional Catholic Church in a traditional way, then we will build in one of six different styles that have come down to us from the ages:
- Early Christian - the basic, simple basilica churches you find in Rome
- Byzantine - the heavy and solid development from the basilica style which is found in Eastern Orthodoxy
- Romanesque - a lighter, more ornate, but still somewhat austere style which developed in Europe from the older basilica style churches
- Gothic - highly ornate churches with thin walls supported by buttresses. A feature of the thin walls are the capability for large stained glass windows.
- Neo-Classical - a highly ornate version of the ancient basilicas.
- Baroque - a very florid and dramatic version of neo classical.
All these styles have their strengths and weaknesses. Each one teaches us something about the faith from the age in which they flourished, and they also teach us something about our Catholic faith today. Building within the 2000 year tradition of the church places our own church in a humble, and yet exalted place.
If we are building not only a traditional church, but a church in a traditional way, then we have to ask which style of church we can afford to build. Gothic, Neo Classical and Baroque, because of their highly decorated and ornate style, are beyond our budget. Therefore the only styles that we can afford are Early Christian, Byzantine or Romanesque.
Early Christian is very simple and austere. Byzantine is more suited to Eastern Orthodox worship. Romanesque has the advantage that it is more ornate than Early Christian or Byzantine. Romanesque is also firmly within the Western Christian tradition.
However, in twenty first century United States we have a congregation that is multi cultural. We have parishioners from all over the world. Is it appropriate to build a Romanesque church for all people? Asian or African Catholics might think that Romanesque is ‘European’. However, over the centuries, the Romanesque style of architecture has been transplanted all over the world and become a universally recognized and loved Catholic style of architecture. You can find Romanesque style churches in Poland, England, Canada, Argentina, Mexico, China, India and Vietnam.
Romanesque also has the advantage that a basic Romanesque church can be built within our budget, but it can also be suitably adorned and decorated over time and still be in keeping with the Romanesque style, while accepting the stained glass, mosaics, and carvings that we might wish to add.
If we are agreed that we want to build a traditional church in a traditional way, then Romanesque is the obvious choice. We should try to understand what the Romanesque style says and what it teaches us about our faith. What does it say about the faith of the believers of that age? What does it say to us today? At the same time, we should be willing to adapt Romanesque to the needs of our modern world. What other decorations and adaptions to the Romanesque would be suitable and proper for our church? How would they fit in with the Romanesque style, and how would they complement and expand the limitations of Romanesque?
If we are to build a church that is as worthy as all of us wish, then these are the questions we must consider and agree on. Once these basic questions are agree the rest, I believe, will follow easily.