143—The Sacrament of Church Architecture—Denis McNamara

By Catholic Culture Podcast ( bio - articles - email ) | Sep 19, 2022 | In The Catholic Culture Podcast

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“Architecture is the built form of ideas, and church architecture is the built form of theology.”

Denis McNamara joins the show to give a crash course in the underlying principles of Catholic church architecture, and make the case for classical architecture as the method that should be used by today’s sacred architects.

McNamara is an Associate Professor and Executive Director of the Center for Beauty and Culture at Benedictine College, architectural consultant, and author of multiple books on architecture.

Topics include:

• The Biblical vision of church architecture
• The church building as part of the liturgical rite
• The church building as a “sacrament” of the glorified, mystical Body of Christ and vision of the Heavenly Jerusalem
• The importance of the Temple
• How liturgical art conveys glorified realities
• How classical architecture makes visible nature’s invisible forces
• The difference between liturgical and devotional images

Links

Catholic Church Architecture and the Spirit of the Liturgy https://www.amazon.com/Catholic-Church-Architecture-Spirit-Liturgy/dp/1595250271

How to Read Churches https://www.amazon.com/How-Read-Churches-ecclesiastical-architecture/dp/1408128365

The Liturgy Guys https://www.liturgyguys.com

Benedictine College’s Center for Beauty and Culture https://www.benedictine.edu/academics/centers/beauty-culture/index

Theme music: “Franciscan Eyes”, written and performed by Thomas Mirus. Download the Catholic Culture Podcast soundtrack.