Opus Project: Voices

How do structures speak? What do they long to say? The designers of the Immaculate Conception Cathedral built it to have a particular voice. The national shrine, as it is called, has been regarded as the American voice of the multitudes of Catholics around the world and thus our presence in the Catholic church. What does it say and to whom does it speak?

The plan of the structure determines the language by which a building will engage in dialogue. It has a clear set of rules and atmosphere - a metric. Being a earthly representation of something far grander, it has to imply something bigger than anything we could possibly produce. Pointing to something that can only be meagerly represented by scale, the tower is the predominant ediface remniscent of the wu, wu's of Rome. This is the 'yard stick' against which everything else is measured. Being the first thing one would sense, whether visually or audibly, it directs visitors along the first portal into their experience of the Cathedral.

Presence is only dictated by emphasis. Black is defined by white just as the bell tower is defined by the landscape and structures near it. A grand spire pointing to the blue heavens above ringing out the presence of church, literally, is the representation of the omnipresent voice of God. The patrons of the church come from all over the world each hoping to have their voice engraved into the memory of this stucture, ringing out with each toll of the bell.

A moment is marked by the memory imprinted on it. A moment is actually the crecendo of smaller less significant step like moments. There is a cadence created by the steps you must endure to reach the gates, which by no mistake represent the presense of the Creator. I remember taking my first steps up to the dual portal seen here. I can't help but remember the excitement swelling in me to see what lie inside. The stucture whispers to you as you secrets of an wonderous afterlife represented by the Godly arch embracing the smaller portal made for men. This was my moment imprinted in the memory of this structure, personal, secret and absorbed by thousands of others.

Once inside the feeling created resonates hollowed emotion. Perhaps this is my own personal experience, or perhaps the effect of the visual aura all centered around the long aisle welcoming my personal journey to the altar. To the left and the right are several smaller chapels all representing the presence of the Blessed Mother to the world representing every race and nationality. Each of which have set a precedent for the style in which the entire Cathedral has been built. Each personal and welcoming chapel give visitors a sense of the scale of history represented by the this Romanesque-Byzantine Style stucture. It was decided to use Romanesque Byzantine over Gothic because "While Gothic appeared to lift the people to God, the Roman Style or the Byantine endeavored to bring God down to the people on earth." http://www.national/ Shrine.com.

There is a duality with this Shrine to The Immaculate Conception Catherdral now known as a Bacillica since 1990. Not only is it a place for worship but it was built on the ground of the Catholic University of America a distinct center of learning for lay people and Catholic seminarians. I have always enjoyed visiting the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception from the time I was a little girl and my Grandmother first took me there. When ever I go home to Washington D. C. I try to make it a point to go visit there.

Photos: from http://www.national/ Shrine of Immaculate Conception
In my readings I realized that the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception was built with the money from Women's Guilds just as they did at the birth of Christian Cathedrals in ancient times. At first the directors, Bishops, Cardinals of the church were seeking funding from wealthy

families. Pope Pius x in 1913, made the first contribution to building a National Catholic Shrine in the United States. The invision started in 1846 to build a Cathedral that rivaled the great Cathedrals of Rome and Europe. The Shrine was not completed until 1959 due to lack of funding political striff and both the Depression and WWII. Construction resumed in 1954 and was completed in 1959. Twenty years late Pope John Paul II was the first Pope to visit the then National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

The architecture of the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception is neither imitative or duplicative of any other church in the world. It's architectuer is Romanesque-Byzantine in style and its construction is entirely of stone, brick and mortar without steel structual beams, framework or columns. Romesque design in architecture is defined by the massive size, thick walls, arches piers, groin vaults, towers and ornamented ambulatories the form is symmetrical in comparsion to Gothic structures. The dome is the dominate feature in Byzantine architecture and is one of the great advances in church architecture. (ww.w. natioanlshrine.com)

Byzantine architecture was superceded by Romanesque style. A circular or elliptical dome was placed over a square or rectangular room by means of pendentives. The triangular construction
strengthened and supported the base that holds the dome. Architect for this design was Charles D. Maginnis(1867-1955).

www. Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception .

Drawing of a Basillica Plan and Arcade of a Byzantine Catherdral.