Posted on 02/13/2016 3:51:33 PM PST by NYer
Church architecture reflects the faith of the people who build churches.
These days many of the modern Catholic churches I have seen look more like municipal airport buildings than structures to house the most sacred thing humans can undertake, the place where heaven and earth meet.
I was recently sent a link to a site about a new church in Moscow. The church was recently completed and consecrated by Patriarch Kirill in December 2015.
A Miracle of Liturgical Art: The Church of the Protection of the Mother of God at Yasenevo
[…]
But most astonishing by far was the project to decorate the interior of the main church. It is ornamented in the style of the Sicilian Cathedrals of the 12th century - without doubt the most sumptuous and refined style that ever emerged in the Byzantine-influenced world. Virtually the entire inside of the Yasenevo church is mosaic iconography in glittering glass and gold. There have been but a handful of churches decorated like this in all of history, and this church ranks fifth among them in area of mosaics. The lower walls of the church are revetted in white marble and the floor is finished in splendid Cosmatesque marble and mosaic interlace. The church is lit with a great brass choros and a constellation of glittering chandeliers. The marble iconostasis bears jewel-like icons with a powerful Romanesque gravity. It is a vision of medieval splendor the likes of which have never before been seen in Russia, and only rarely in all the world.
The true miracle of the Yasenevo church, though, lies not in its richness, but its poverty. Astonishingly, this church, constructed in just seven years, had no major individual donors. There was no great oligarch or wealthy institution footing the bill. Rather, the money came in small donations from ordinary people and pious organizations - 80,000 donors in total.
[…]
Go there… really, go… to see the rest, astonishing pictures.
Remember what Jesus said to those who held your belief. Pharisees criticized when He was anointed with costly oils, saying that the money would be better spent on alms for the poor. "The poor you shall always have with you," He said.
While it's true that we can seek and worship him anywhere, the hearts of men and women are elevated when we are ravished with pure beauty, whether that is the visual beauty of art and architecture or the aural beauty of glorious music. In each of these arts we attempt, however crudely, to do our best for the Lord, to imitate the glories of heaven as we attempt to imitate Him in our conduct. The artists and architect are all singing together, "This is my best, Lord. You gave me talent, You gave me the opportunity to develop that talent; now I give back to You the best I can do, in worship."
A building like this one inspires joy, humble reverence, and gratitude that such things can exist, and we can behold them. This attitude of awe is the proper way to approach worship. So the building does a service in filling worshippers with the state of mind conducive to communion.
If you have never had the experience of being thrown to your knees by beauty, whether that be the designs of Bernini, the sculpture and painting of Michelangelo, or the godly art of Bach, you are in the minority.
Putin is a Russian Orthodox Christian. He has gone to retreat at a monastery and relates to the priests often. He is a religious man; someone people think it’s for show, my opinion fwiw is that he is a believer in God.
I love that church. It is beautiful, colorful, and PERSONAL with images of Jesus and saints. Definitely helps to meditate on prayer and the whole purpose or foundation of religion - love for God, prayer to Him, relating to Him in a personal way.
(((Hugs)))
So nice to see you here! I have been thinking of you with fondness from time to time. How are you doing?
I haven’t forgotten you either. I hope all is well with your health and your family. Of course the world gives us ups and downs...but God’s love is always with us, if we but beg Him to know.
Me? Never a dull moment, still kicking...
The St.Louis Cathedral in Missouri has some incredible mosaic work.
I don’t recall if it is the same cathedral but there’s one in Missouri all a glitter with gold and colored glass tiles that incorporates whitetail deer and other regional fauna into the religious design and it is stunning.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/msabeln/3818055070/
If I recall correctly, these mosaics were done by a woman.
As I recall, someone asked the same thing of Jesus.
Don’t poor and needy artists have to eat? Perhaps God called them to create artwork so that they might eat, rather than simply sending them to soup kitchens or to do something we know He’s capable of -handing out baskets to everyone that provide an unlimited supply of loaves and fishes; providing manna and quail. Instead of this direct provisioning He gives us vocations. Think of the mosaic artist- whether tiling a bathroom floor or applying a gorgeous mosaic on a basilica wall, God both provides for the artist’s daily bread but also uses the artist’s labor for Himself and to meet the needs of others.
I am a protestant... are you not familiar with the Lutheran theology of vocation?
http://www.modernreformation.org/default.php?page=articledisplay&var2=881
MAD magazine once had a cartoon of two people discussing modern churches, and one observed "I don't get it. These churches today, they don't look like churches, they look more like banks." And the other guy replies, "Why shouldn't they? They're both houses of worship!"
/ba-dum t'ssssh>
bump
And I’m supposed to believe Russia is my enemy over the Islamists?
A truly beautiful church.
That's a silly thing to say. The money wasn't buried under the church, nor did it vanish into space. It was used to pay the workers who built the church. It provided jobs for a large number of people. The only difference is that without the construction of the church, the money would have been spent by the donors, and provided jobs for a different set of people.
My desire/expectation is very low. I just want a church where I don’t have to play “Where’s Jesus?” every time I enter. Put the tabernacle behind the altar and I’m happy!
I guess if surrounded by such beauty can inspire believers to worship Him and not their surroundings, I don't see it as an a bad thing...
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