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STEP 2: THINK HOLISTICALLYCREATINGA Beautiful Church Buildingby Carl G. Harkins Jr.
The palace staff typically worshipped in the lower church of Ste. Chapelle.
Art is the path of the creator to his work.Ralph Waldo Emerson, The Poet, 1856
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work is coming to move out, someone
traveling with us might ask: Does any one
know where we are going? Why are we
following this path? And what are we going
to see when we get there? Oh, great, a
grumblerand just when we thought we
had smoothed out all the emotional threatsof getting this done.
Well, hang on; dont chastise that
person too muchbecause there is real
validity in the questions they are asking.
Think about it for a second; are you clear
about your destination? Are you sure about
your footing on this path, so that you are
able to address all of the little decisions that
come as you move toward realizing your
destination? Do you have any idea of how
those decisions are going to come together
to capture the grand design that will propel
the churchs ministries up to the next level
of effectiveness?
If you can affirmatively answer these
questions, greatdo so, and your journey
up the path can accelerate its ascent. But if
you cant quite put a concise answer to the
questions, maybe you need to take a
switchbackan alternate path that gives
people a chance to slowly work their way
back-and-forth up a steep rise on the way to
their destination. Now, I like switchbacks
because while you will get to the same
place you would have gotten I you had usedthe quick, direct trail, switchbacks also
allow you the luxury of looking at the
scenery around you as you gradually get to
the top of the hill. Switchbacks allow you to
see the long vistas. Switchbacks allow
you to get the big picture. And even if you
are able to take the quick, direct trail, you
will want to rest on a switchback every once
in a whileif for no other reason than to
get your bearings on where you are in that
big picture.
Holistic DesignYou might be saying, the hiking
metaphor really sums this up nicely, but
what does that have to do with creating a
beautiful church building. Well, lets stop
for a secondon this nice switchbackand
lets answer another question or two. Say
youre in the paper stage of designing
Ekkelsia Hagia
Sophiathe Church
of Holy Wisdom
Arches supporting the dome
of Hagia Sophia symbolized
the four ends of the earth.
The design of Ste. Chapelle
used colored glass that
would refract and reflect thesymbol of God.
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a church building, what do you see? Do you see the parts of
the design processthe plans, the sections, the elevations,
the computer-generated model, the wants/needs study
matrix and the construction costs. Or do you see the whole
abstraction of the churchs ministry being expressed in
concrete ideas that you can grasp and communicate to those
who want to understand what is being done?Or, better yet, when youre in a church building looking
at the completed structure, what do you experience? Do you
concern yourself with floors separate from walls separate
from ceilings? Do doors and windows, graphics, finishes and
furnishings appear as separate bundles of information?
Do you find yourself saying, There are the classrooms,
there is the hospitality area, there is the worship space,
etc.essentially isolating the parts that make up the whole
of the facility?
Or do you interact with the whole building, so that you
are able to evaluate how floors sweep up into walls that fold
up into ceilings that protectively wrap space around a
ministry? Do you experience an interaction between the
physical form and the spiritual and philosophical drives that
molded those spaces? Do you encounter within those spaces
symbolic forms that relate to past and represent reality,
while talking to a developing future that will inherit those
spaces and make them their own? Are you engaged not just
visually or audibly, but there is an appeal to olfactory,
tactical and palatable inputand there is that delicate tug at
your soul informing you that this place truly provides an
encounter with God? Do you experience the big picture
the wholeness that in Hebrew is called Shalom?
I dont know about you, but I want to create chances for
encountering Shalom. Dealing with a set of finely-crafted
parts and pieces may result in that experience. But the
probability of creating spaces where people can ministereffectively on physical, mental and spiritual levels is greater
if we are concerned with holistic design. And holistic design
depends on answering those distracting questions we dealt
with earlierwhere, why and what.
As I look around at where we are just now, that wasnt
much of a rest stop. We covered a lot of ground there, and
we probably need to look out at the vista of architectural
examples spread out though history so we understand what
weve just trekked over.
N o w, you may not personally like these examples;
remember how we got started on this trail to begin
with? We were willing to put down prettiness
prejudices in order to focus on addressing realneeds. What Id like you to do is look at how these
three example churches actively address the
where, why, what questions in the physical forms
they take. Each one of these facilities was created to
communicate and symbolize a definite philosophy,
theology and physical reality that engaged the
individual experiencing them in a holistic sense
of Shalom.
Ekkelsia Hagia SophiaOut of the vista, lets first focus in to Istanbul,
Turkeya city formerly known as Constantinople,
capital of the Byzantine Empire. Between A . D .
532 and 573, Emperor Justinian I worked with
Anthemius of Tralles and Isidorus of Melitus to
craft the third building known as the Ekkelsia
Hagia Sophiathe Church of Holy Wisdom. T h i s
facility is hugethe main worship space is over
260-feet long by 105-feet wide. The dome that
literally hovers over the main worship area is 102
Do you experience
the big picture
the wholeness that
in Hebrew is
called Shalom?
The main purpose of Ste. Chapelle was to be
a reliquarya place to hold a physical reminder
of Jesus or one of the saints.
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Myler
1/2 PageSIZEPage 43RS#:
feet in diameter. When originally constructed, the facility
sat between the residence of the Patriarch of Constantinople
one of the co-leaders of the Orthodox Churchand the
imperial palace. For 900 years, until the fall of the
Byzantine Empire in A.D. 1542, the emperor and the
patriarch together directed the faithful in both Christian
worship and other ceremonies in this building styled TheGreat Church.
The form of the church was developed to instruct
the faithful, to reinforce the dynamic interaction between
the patriarch and the emperor, and to awe the populace
by equating overwhelming scale with limitless power.
As explained by Rowland J. Mainstone in his book,Hagia
Sofia: A rc h i t e c t u re, Stru c t u re and Liturgy of Justinians
Great Church: The church symbolized the world and was
at the same time the center of the earth. Since it was a
symbol of the world, the different parts of the building
symbolized different levels in the secular sphere. The lowest
part of the church symbolized the earth and the dome
heaven. The arches supporting the dome symbolized
the four ends of the earth. Structures in the form of domes
are images of Heaven, symbols of the Divine World, the
heavenly Jerusalem.
The form further instructs the faithful because it is a
segmented basilica forma person who proceeding toward
full membership of within the Church was allowed to
approach the sanctuary only so far, and then only clergy
and the emperor were allowed to go within the area aroundthe communion table/altar. This restricted access to the altar,
along with processions lead by both the emperor and the
patriarch into and out of the worship space, and liturgical
responsibilities of both personages reinforced the creative
tension between Head of State and Head of Church. This
dynamic comes truly clear in knowing that the name of the
central door (there are nine total doors) leading into the
worship space is The Imperial Gatethe emperor, the
patriarch and their attendants are the main users of this door.
F i n a l l y, in its original polychrome format, the form
overwhelms the individual experiencing the worship space
with richness of materials flowing up the walls from the
floor, up to the dome sitting on its golden chain of light.
The painted images of Christs living power as Pantocrator
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(judge of the world) supported by icons of the
saints visually reinforced the spiritual and temporal
power of patriarch and emperor, while clouds of
incense accompanying the chanted liturgy would
stimulate a sensory overload.
Capturing the sense of successfully creating a
holistic church space are the words of PrinceVladimir of Kiev, who upon experiencing worship
in the Hagia Sophia in A.D. 988, exclaimed,
Surely this must be the House of God. We know
not if we are in heaven, or on earth.2 What better
answers to where, what, why could you request?
Sainte ChapelleLets look at a second example, a little farther
on in time and space, but, strangely enough, related
to the developments within the Byzantine Empire.
In Paris, France, King Louis IX of France, known
by many as Saint Louis, worked with the architect
Pierre de Montreuil, between A.D. 1242 to 1248 to
create a jewel-box building that we know today as
Sainte Chapelle (derived from the root words for
sacred and cloakspecifically the relic of
St. Martins cloak that was preserved in a small,
purpose-built church). In comparison to Hagia
Sophia, this space is tinythe upper floor worship
space is only 32-feet wide and 99-feet long.
However, the structure of Ste. Chapelle has been
reduced to invisibility to the point that one
experiences the effect of being enclosed in a 40-
foot-tall box of colored light.
The form of this space, too, was created toemphasize the link between the secular power of
the king and the sacred power of God. Louis and
Pierre, however, designed to create a political
statement documenting the transfer of spiritual
authority from Jerusalem and Byzantium to
Paris. They additionally wished to model their
understanding of the cosmic order. How did they
accomplish all this in a miniature scale?
As originally sited, Ste. Chapelle sat within
the walls of Louiss palace; a passageway similar
to the one connecting the Byzantine emperors
palace to the Hagia Sophia was constructed
connecting Louis suite to the main, second floorworship space. The main purpose of Ste. Chapelle
was to be a reliquarya place to hold a physical
reminder of Jesus or one of the saints. The relics
Louis obtained from the Byzantine Emperor
Balwin II were first, the Crown of Thorns worn by
Jesus at the Crucifixion (purchased 1239), and
second, a section of the Cross upon which Jesus
was crucified (purchased 1241). These relics had been found by
St. Helene, mother of Emperor Constantine, in the Holy Land, in the
fourth century A.D., and had been moved to Constantinople. Louis
valued what these symbols represented highlypaying nearly
three-and-one-half times more for just the Crown of Thorns than he
spent on the entire construction of the Ste. Chapelle. In his quest for
these symbols, he sought and established recognition of Paris as
the spiritual-cum-cultural center for Western Christendom. By
extension, since Paris was to be a spiritual focal point, then the ruler
of the French was to hold an important role in Gods creation
and the physical location of interaction between God and the
King needed to reflect that interleaving of the spiritual and the
temporal worlds.This desire to create a place where the sacred and secular
intersected in the physical proximity of the royal palace lead to the
unique design of Ste. Chapelle. According to the popular theology
of the day, God was best represented by Light coming from above
hence the drive to create tall spaces with minimal interior structure,
thus allowing the openings to be filled with colored glass that would
refract and reflect the symbol of God. Ste. Chapelle is the ultimate
St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal
Church, San Francisco.
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expression of this theologythere was no church in France
constructed with a higher glass-to-structure ratio at the time.
All other interior structural elements were minimized in order to
highlight the glazing, and to allow the focal point of the Cross and
Crown to stand out in high relief.
One other note; Ste. Chapelle is actually two churches
stacked on each other; the palace staff typically worshipped in thelower church while Louis, his retainers and the clergy worshipped
in the upper church, facing the cased symbols of sacred and
secular power. Even the walls and ceilings of these stacked
churches worked universal symbols of the timethe ceilings in
both churches are painted blue to represent the heavens where
God reigns, but the stars are represented by gold fleur-de-lys, an
ancient symbol of the French royal house. The perimeter of the
upper church was originally surrounded by statues of the apostles,
who were depicted carrying cases that held the consecration
crosses for Ste. Chapelle. In essence, their continuous presence
during times when the church was occupied and when it was
unoccupied symbolized the continuous interaction and blessing of
the spiritual world within the temporal world, especially to the
person of the King.
Whether or not you agree that this is correct
t h e o l o g y, realize that this was the contemporary
understanding of how human and divine interactions
occurred. In that light, understand that St. Louis IX
desired to do nothing but what God had called him to
do, and Louis set about creating a space where he
could experience the wholeness of God. Louis soughthis answers to where, what, why and experienced
G o d s Shalom as he understood it.
St. Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church
Weve looked into the past for examplehow
about scanning the horizon for something thats a
little closer? San Francisco has no relationship to
Paris or Constantinople, although Herb Cain, a
deceased columnist for the San Francisco Chro n i c l e,
used to call the city Baghdad by the Bay. But,
in the southern part of this city is a congregation
that has created a facility this is literally moldedaround their vision of communicating and s
ymbolizing their definite philosophy and theology.
They have established a physical reality that
engages the individual in a holistic experience
of Shalom.
This congregation is St. Gregory of Nyssa
Episcopal Church. Their facility was constructed in
1995 under the direction of John Goldman, archi-
tect, and Reverend Donald Schell and Reverend
Richard Fabian. This facility is designed around a
l i t u rgy of dynamic movement, focusing on the
desire to become a living Friend of God, as
defined by the writings of the congregationseponymous patron.
John Goldmans own words best explain the
holistic creation of the worship spaces: The church
building form, a gabled structure joined to an
octagonal structure, comes from the creation of two
distinct but linked worship areas, each with their
own liturgical and acoustical requirements, one for
the Liturgy of the Word and one for the Liturgy of
the Eucharist.
The gabled structure, for the Liturgy of the
Word, seats 200 people on two sides, facing each
other across a central platform. The presiderss chair
is located at the north end of the platform, beneath a60-foot high bell tower, in front of a p r e e m i n e n t
focal point: a 20-foot high painted icon which depicts
the mystical marriage of Christ with the believers
soul. Bible readings in this room take place from a
lectern at the opposite, south end of the platform.
The antiphonal seating arrangement of this room
is ideal because it encourages spoken and sungThe holistic design of St. Gregory enhances and encourages
the dynamic flow of worshippers within the space.
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review where weve been. First, remember to define
b e a u t y d o n t carry a heavy prettiness prejudice
around, or youll never make it onto the trail; and
remember to use the four tools of right-proportion,
i n t e g r i t y, clarity and foresight to bring your definition into
objective terms. Second, remember to think holistically
address the where, why, what questions in establishing
physical forms; work to communicate and symbolize a
definite philosophy, theology and physical reality; and
engage the individual experiencing them in a holistic
sense of Shalom.
Just remember, as you grow in understanding the
creation of a beautiful church, you are learning to lead
others in their quest for understanding. Where you go,
you will eventually lead. And hopefully for all of us, the
next time we meet, our next step along this path will be
fun and exciting.v
References1. Hagia Sofia: Architecture, Structure, and Liturgy of Justinians
Great Church, Rowland J. Mainstone, www.culture.gr/2/21/215/
21505/215051/2150513/e21505119f.
2. www.emich.edu/abroad/staff/Benita/Byzantine
3. John Goldman, AIA, Goldman Architects, excerpt from presenta-
tion given to the Interfaith Forum on Religion, Art & Architecture
(IFRAA) during the AIA National Convention, San Francisco,
May 13, 1998.
Working exclusively for design/build firms since
1992, Carl Harkins currently serves as the director of
a rchitectural production for G.L. Barron Co. He holds
national certification through the National Council of
Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB), and maintains
active architectural licenses in 10 states, including Texas
and California. Harkins is a member of the A m e r i c a n
Institute of A rchitects (AIA), the Society of A rc h i t e c t u r a l
Historians (SAH), the Interfaith Forum on Religion, A rt
& Architecture (IFRAA) and the Order of St. Luke (OSL).
community participation and a sense of connection between
all the congregants. The shape of the room allows seating to
be angled toward the presiderss chair, where most of this
service originates. The rooms shape, volume and materials
were also designed so that the reverberation time is excellent
for speech and good for song, since the majority of the
service here consists of speech.Midway through the service, worshippers move in
a procession from this worship area to the octagonal room
for the Liturgy of the Eucharist, spiraling into place around
the wood altar table at the center of the room, below the
60-foot high, day-lit cupola. The altar table sits on an oak
floor with a maple inlaid labyrinth. Worshippers gather
round the table for communion, song and processional
dance. The centralizing form of this room is ideal for this
kind of movement and liturgical activity. The large volume
of this space, combined with the concealed acoustical
insulation, makes the reverberation time optimal for the
L i t u rgy of the Eucharist, which consists mostly of song and
chanted prayer. 3
Other features in the design of St. Gregorys that
respond to his kind of holistic thinking include a baptistery
that is on a cross-axis with the Eucharistic space, artwork
and icons that enhance and encourage the dynamic flow of
worshippers within the space, and a collection of antique
processional crosses that links this modern worship space
with its ancient liturgical roots. This church facility is indeed
a coherent design, created to address those questions of
where, what, why in an effective manner.
Are you a little bit rested now? Is your mind a little more
at ease? Do you feel you have the spiritual strength to go a
little farther along the path towards creating a beautifulchurch? You are? Good. So, lets look at the trail map to
Remember to think
holisticallyaddress
the where, why, whatquestions in establishing
physical forms.
Concept perspective of First Church of the Nazarene,
Arlington, Texas as designed by G.L. Barron Co. Inc.
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