Sacred Space and Time: Theology and deliberate architecture

I have a work title for my personal research:

"The Presence of Christ

A hermeneutical approach to understanding Christian sacred space

in its architectural environment, liturgical occasion and theological function"

And in this connection, I would like to share some thoughts around a

Functional approach

One of the main functions of a church is to create a space for the communal and personal encounter with God. It seeks to aide the human side of this connection. I am fully aware that we cannot contain God in any built environment, but He has promised to be where two or three are gathered in His name. We can not create any space or cause in any way the appearance of God - we have no such 'magic' power, but God has freely promised to come near, so therefore we may expect it.

Theology and deliberate architecture:

In our Christian religion, the natural relationship between God and human kind is a broken relationship, due to a spiritual death on the part of humanity. Salvation from this state is found in God's act in becoming man: in Jesus Christ, his life, death and resurrection. As such, the reality is clear, but the question still hovers: how does it become part of my life? We know from the writings of the early apostles that this relationship is instituted through faith in Jesus, a simple conviction of the heart that He is who he says He is, and that I as a person, need to be rescued from my state of enmity towards God, and to receive the gift of life. And yet, we wonder: How does this actually happen? Many will testify and say: there is an inner conviction, the work of the Holy Spirit, that uses the Written word, and you are challenged to respond... Other will say: there is a means of God's grace provided for us in the act of baptism. Naturally, the symbolic act of baptism - to die, as one is being submerged in water - and rise again out of the water with the new life inside, is only truly valid when it is confirmed in a statement of faith. It is no magic symbolic act, and it has only value when acted on the promises of Jesus Christ.

Ok, some of you may have a bone or two to pick with me and my formulations - but my point is to see how the layout of a church, or church complex, reflect the basic theology.

My first example is the Cathedral of Pisa in Italy (1063-1350). It is most famous for its leaning bell tower, but the baptistry and cathedral are built together in a clearly theologically informed way.

The large, circular baptistry is the first entry, as a person is initiated into the Christian faith through baptism, and as such can enter the place of worship.

The shape of this Romanesque building strongly resembles the tombs of the early church, like the Tomb of Theodoric in Ravenna, which is dated to 520 AD.

Pisa Cathedral, Baptistry and Campanile ( bell tower)

It is therefore my claim that the choice of shape and form of the baptistry in Pisa is deliberate, in order to connect ideologically with the place of death. In baptism, one dies to self and rises with Christ.

The octagonal shape is clear in this building.

Tomb of Theodoric

How deliberate is the placement in other churches?

In our village of Kviteseid, Norway, we have two churches, one medieval church and one built in 1916. The newer church is a traditional basilica, with a bell tower adjacent to left. Upon entry through the narthex, we enter the main sanctuary. There is a baptismal font in the entry to the choir, which is marked by a small platform, a step up from the nave.