Sabine Grant

I am a christian and it is difficult for me to bypass the amount of financial means invested in cathedrals and many churches from various denominations.
The cost of the maintenance of such buildings takes my mind to the reality of poverty and human misery .

I was moved by the sounds of the great organ of the Cathedral of Strasbourg yet I could not help noticing the contrast with the homeless folks wandering near by. Classified as a historical monument, the cathedral is being restored.... meanwhile some people have no roof.

I realize that the argument is about appreciating the architecture of such monuments. Impressive yes... moving ... but costly. If indeed those were to be built to project the glory of God, I must ponder on which god would want to see his glory reflected thru stones rather than a contribution to humanity.

My favorite church to visit as a monument is by the fishing harbor of Pozzuoli ( Napoli). It was beaten up by storms and survived several earthquakes as well as a tidal wave. Its architecture was authored by nature itself. It shelters the faith of the families of fishermen who wander off at sea at night.

echoes

In travelling through western Europe, I've seen many religious buildings (mainly Cathedrals but also a few Muslim, Visigothic, and Roman ones as well).

A few weeks ago I was in Spain, both to see relatives, and also to visit Andalusia (the southern region of Spain, with the strongest Muslim influence, historically speaking). The famous mosque in Cordoba (you know, the one with all those red and white arches ), and the many, many cathedrals I saw (especially the one in Seville) were amazing. The artistic merit of all the paintings, sculpture, architecture, etc. is awesome.

Interestingly, when Christians recaptured Cordoba from the Muslims, they built a cathedral right in the middle of the Mosque. The relatively compact, and very ornate cathedral stands in stark contrast with the large, yet relatively simple mosque that it was built in.

seebs

Before I converted, I loathed churches, because many of them had a weird icky feel. I have since noticed that many churches have a bit of that vibe, but that the specially consecrated parts are generally okay, and I like them a lot better once the people have left.

Not sure what this says.

Amie

I love that one!...it is beautiful, a friend of mine got married there...

Also, the cathedral in Los Angeles is so beautiful...and there is a starbucks there

DMB

I cannot help admiring the architecture of some old churches (not always big ones) and cathedrals. As a European I have had the advantage of easy access to them. I love many of the English cathedrals, but my favourite is Chartres, which isn't such a huge cathedral, but has beautiful stonework and stained glass.

The older colleges of Oxford and Cambridge have wonderful chapels. I particularly like King's College, Cambridge and New College, Oxford, although many others are superb as well.

I confess to being a fan of Anglican choral music and have from time to time attended choral evensong, where you don't sing, but just listen to the choir.

Then again, it isn't just churches. There are magnificent mosques and what about the Parthenon?

I also love illuminated manuscripts and books of hours, which are also a form of religious art. There are also wonderful Persian drawings of the same type. I also admire Roman mosaics, many of which are very fine. I suppose the Cro-Magnon cave art of Lascaux could be religious -- we shall probably never know for sure. I find it inexpressibly moving as well as technically skilled.

Religion has given rise to great art, but it doen't follow that the same artists wouldn't have produced just as magnificent secular art, if the opportunity had existed.

For me, art is a great expression of the best qualities of humanity. I don't have to care about the particular belief system that gave rise to it.

seanie

It may be an acquired taste the most impressive building I've ever experienced is Corbusier's monastery at La Tourette.

It's not exactly pretty I grant you but it is superb.

Shake

It kinda reminds me of the library of my alma mater, RPI, which by the way, has what appears to be an old chapel on the campus grounds, but had been converted into a computer lab when I was there ('88-'92).Yes, it sounds like you and I are also, as amazon put it, "church snobs!"

Eudaimonist

You are right. Those can be inspiring too.

That's true. Such art does exist, though I hope to see much, much more.

This may be getting slightly off topic, but here is a painting with a secular feel I recently saw and fell in love with. (Click on the image to see larger images.) Unfortunately I don't have the $15,000 to purchase it.

Bill Snedden

I'm assuming you mean the one in Oak Park, IL. However, Wright also designed at least one other Unitarian church: in Madison, WI. They're both quite striking, but I personally prefer the Oak Park building.

The Unity Temple in Oak Park was, I believe, one of the first churches Wright built, and his conception was exceedingly humanistic as Wright noted in his Autobiography

I've always been attracted to grand churches, not necessarily for their religious meaning, but because they represent the physical embodiment of essentially human ideals like Truth, Beauty, Purpose, etc. Even if their builders were mistaken as to the source of those ideals, their constructions still stand as monuments to the power of those ideals and the human spirit.

Regards,

Bill Snedden
___________
"There is no god higher than truth." Mohandas Gandhi

seanie

Found another photo.