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10-25-2005, 06:10 PM
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| | | Church architecture
Churchill said this about buildings in general, but it seems especially appropriate for churches: "we shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us."
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Scott Roberts
Ruling Elder, Lakeside Presbyterian Church (PCA)
Southlake, Texas
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10-25-2005, 06:28 PM
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"My days were mostly spent watching things being made and being out in my own world, fueled by my own imagination. That was a priceless combination, as it has turned out." -- David Macaulay, author of Cathedral 
[Edited on 10-25-2005 by VirginiaHuguenot]
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Andrew Myers
Husband of Jessica, Father of Jackson, Katie and Samuel
Member, Presbyterian Reformed Church of Northern Virginia
Warrenton, VA USA
Editor, The Matthew Poole Project
"Let your Morning Thoughts, and your last Evening Thoughts, be what shall become of you to all Eternity." -- Matthew Poole
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12-25-2005, 07:18 PM
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From Horton Davies' The Worship of the American Puritans, p. 293-294: Quote: |
The aesthetic of Puritan architecture was theologically controlled....Chief among Puritan considerations was the insistence on biblical obedience, making the pulpit the throne of God's Word in Scripture. That is why the high pulpit dominated the meetinghouse throughout its history, and why the Bible resting on a red or green velvet cusion was the focal point. Here the message of God was expounded on the Lord's Day to the Lord's elect and covenanted people. The central position of the pulpit and Bible demonstrate that the people of God are created by listening to the revelation of God confirmed in their hearts by the Holy Spirit. While preaching was important in the Church of England, Holy Communion was even more important, which is why the altar was central and the lectern and pulpit placed on the side in Anglican churches. Puritans wished to express the primacy of the Word over the sacraments of the Word.
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12-25-2005, 07:26 PM
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Without violating the RPW or the 2nd Commandment, I would be inclined to make a church "look like a church." My heart is stirred when I leave the secular for the sacred. If I had a choice, I would rather walk into a place specifically designed for the meeting of the people of God, than not. This is why I think God was so "aesthetically pleasing" to the manner of the tabernacle and the temple. However, the synagogue was not so arrayed in such things.
Most of the churches that the Puritans worshiped in were very plain, except for the pulpit.
Most of the churches the Reformers worshiped in were very decorative.
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12-25-2005, 10:35 PM
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The interior of the reconstructed Plimoth Meetinghouse where the pilgrims worshipped. 
It also served as a fort. 
I've attended worship services in both of the church buildings below. IMO they are excellent examples of good American church architecture. American historical architecture is a favorite topic of mine, and I'm glad to see more and more new church buildings being built in similar historical styles today.
This is a picture of the 1st Presbyterian church building in Schenectady, NY built in 1809. This style was typical of American churches from the late 18th century into the 19th. 
Park Street Church in Boston, also built in 1809.  |
12-25-2005, 10:44 PM
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Great pics, Thom!
Another notable historical church is the French Huguenot Church in Charleston, South Carolina (one of three Huguenot churches standing in America, two of which are active, including this one):  |
12-25-2005, 11:24 PM
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This is Grace Episcopal Church in Yorktown, Virginia, where my ancestor Francis Fontaine, of French Huguenot lineage, and also chaplain to the Virginia House of Burgesses, once pastored (1723 - 1749):  |
03-14-2006, 05:44 PM
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French Huguenot church in Lyon, France (1564-1567):  | |
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