Editorial: E Pluribus Unam Sanctam Catholicam

by Duncan G. Stroik, appearing in Volume 49

For a country as young as ours, we have a world’s worth of ecclesiastical architecture. Though not all of our churches are on your city’s top ten tourist destinations, they express the richness of a universal faith and the wide backgrounds of its members. While Catholicism landed on the shores of the New World in 1492, it took a while to create buildings that would stand the test of time. In terms of religious freedom, there was little in the thirteen colonies until after the Revolution. Ecclesiastical architecture started growing in the mid to late nineteenth century with the influx of immigrants from Germany, Ireland, Italy, and Eastern Europe. These newcomers were entrepreneurial, poor, and old fashioned in their religion. They wanted an architecture that intimated the richness of the churches in their birth countries. Admittedly, the Catholic architects of the time were not as well-educated as their European confreres, and because of that, archbishops in Baltimore and New York turned to noted Protestant architects to design their cathedrals. By the twentieth century, however, ecclesiastical architects had better training and sometimes a college education, inspired by the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. The aesthetic desires of ethnic parishes combined with architects well-educated in the history of architecture led to a great variety of styles in our churches, and this is one of the great legacies of Catholic architecture in America. 

On one hand, Catholics wanted an architecture that was sacramental and rich in beauty, and on the other hand, they were aware that they were in a majority Protestant country. In some cases this led to a tempering of exterior richness, a rejection of the most identifiable of Catholic styles like the baroque, and often less-than-optimal  locations in cities. This is most evident in the older New England villages where the Congregational or Methodist church is on the green, while Saint Mary’s Roman Catholic Church was built a few blocks away much later. In many towns, the Catholic church is large, though simple, on the exterior, with the use of double towers in some grander edifices, and with the name of the church and statues of saints as a dead giveaway. The materials are often local, such as wood siding for small country churches, stucco in the south and southwest, brick across the nation, and sandstone, limestone, marble, and granite for cathedrals and churches in wealthy cities where it was more common.

On the interiors, the Catholics wanted to fit everything they could into the building, no matter their budget. Wood moldings, ornate plaster, tile floors with patterns, and economical artwork, which could create a rich ethos for an affordable cost. Amazing confections of high altars with spires, crockets, angels, saints, and crucifix. Large tabernacles in a variety of styles were placed on the altar, sometimes with a throne above for adoration. Side altars with the Virgin on the left and Saint Joseph on the right were often designed as smaller versions of the high altar. Ornate wood confessionals became cubicles built into the walls which made them more private. Stained-glass windows and fourteen stations of the cross brought saints, color, and narrative to the interior. In addition, the decorative painting of walls and ceilings made the churches seem regal, and murals were even more upscale. Church interiors, like houses, were updated stylistically every twenty-five years, with a new paint job and change in the design of high altars, statuary, and art. 

American churches exhibit a creative efficiency in accommodating elements not seen in European churches. The narthex or foyer is added as an airlock, especially for cold climates. A large choir loft over the front door provides seating for the choir and organ, with great acoustics and little affect to the main floor. Pews and aisles so tightly spaced (unknown in the old country) made seating for 1000, and even 1500 adults and children in the nave. One of my favorite creative accommodations is the simple roof with a metal cornice that hides a complex gothic interior, complete with wood colonnettes, side aisles, and a false clerestory, usually done for budget reasons. One sees this at major churches such as the mother church of Polish Chicago, Saint Stanislaus Kostka, and Knute Rockne’s favorite church, the Basilica of the Sacred Heart at the University of Notre Dame.

These are a few things which embody American Catholic architecture and differentiate it from Protestant churches of the U.S. and Catholic churches of Europe.  Although immigrants with different languages and cultures gave us Rhineland Romanesque in the Midwest and Spanish missions in the southwest, most Roman Catholics feel at home in both. To be sure, there are elements and artwork in this world’s-worth of architecture in America which may seem strange and foreign to some of us. Yet there are many other classic elements which make the average Catholic feel at home in all of them. This is  especially true in America where we have such a great variety of sacred art and architecture in our towns and cities, all of which assist us in giving praise to God.