The Relationship between Sanctuary and Nave

The Relationship between Sanctuary and Nave Abbot Michael John Zielinski, OSB Oliv METHODOLOGICAL PREMISES Liturgy and church architecture today need to relate to the ecclesiology of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) and the liturgical reform it inaugurated. And yet this reform must be read correctly. Pope Benedict XVI has recently presented several keys to the correct interpretation of this council; he distinguishes between an authentic hermeneutic "of reform" and a misguided hermeneutic "of discontinuity and of rupture."1 The principle that applies to the truths of the Catholic faith – namely that they are susceptible not of change, but of better understanding, so that there can be a "development" of doctrine in this sense – also applies to reforms in the Church's practice. In particular, the liturgical reform following Vatican II introduced a number of changes, not for the sake of novelty, but with the aim of greater fidelity to the mystery of God and for the needs of pastoral charity. According to the vision of Benedict XVI, there is no "preconciliar " Church on the one hand and a "post-conciliar" Church on the other. Moreover, the liturgical reform that originated with the Second Vatican Council, and consequently the manner of constructing sacred spaces, is to be located within the long stream of the great Tradition. To quote the Holy Father once more, in the "hermeneutic of reform" we recognize "the continuity of the one subject-Church which the Lord has given to us … a subject which increases in time and develops, yet always remaining the same, the one subject of the journeying People of God."2 When a Christian artist is called to build a church, he can deceive himself by giving his project the appearance of "good Catholic architecture ." However, he ought to be careful that this will not result in a simple collage, where traditional fragments are merely copied without recognizing their profound meaning. A Christian architect must work from within the Tradition, must experience it as a living and dynamic reality; he must not clone its forms, but understand them so that he 1 Benedict XVI, Discourse to the Roman Curia (22 December 2005). 2 Benedict XVI, Discourse to the Roman Curia (22 December 2005). Antiphon 11.3 (2007): 206-220 207 THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SANCTUARY AND NAVE may then be able to realize a sacred building that is both beautiful and faithful to the Tradition. As Pope Benedict XVI writes in his recent Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Sacramentum caritatis: The beauty of the liturgy is part of this mystery [sc. of Christ's death and resurrection]; it is a sublime expression of God's glory and, in a certain sense, a glimpse of heaven on earth. The memorial of Jesus' redemptive sacrifice contains something of that beauty which Peter, James and John beheld when the Master, making his way to Jerusalem, was transfigured before their eyes (see Mk 9:2). Beauty, then, is not mere decoration, but rather an essential element of the liturgical action, since it is an attribute of God himself and his revelation. These considerations should make us realize the care which is needed, if the liturgical action is to reflect its innate splendour.3 A church is not only a house for the liturgy, it must also be a house that is beautiful: its architectural features remain when the Liturgy is ended and hence must continue to radiate the splendor of the truth. The sacrality of a church is inherent to the building itself: it is a place set apart, dedicated in a solemn rite. People come to pray in it even when there are no liturgical celebrations taking place. The ecclesiastical norms and rules concerning the building of a church certainly require filial obedience and also humility, but the artist's own act of faith will also serve to generate the grace of an "intuition" from which new, truly Catholic, creative forms can emerge from within the one great form, which is the Body of Christ, the Church. THE CHURCH AND LITURGICAL SPACE From a purely architectural point of view, liturgical space may not seem to be different from other kinds of space, except for the functional structure according to...