Topic: Mammoth and Meaningless: The new 'church' at Fatima

[Irish Hermit]

A Colossal Monument
to Diabolic Disorientation

Guerra’s 90-Million-Dollar Eyesore Opens at Fatima

By John Vennari

http://www.cfnews.org/dia-monument.htm

[Cymbyz]

Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwww, but an apt expression of the barrenness of the Christian West.

[JLatimer]

Oh my.

[Alveus Lacuna]

Stopped in a SSPX shrine this last weekend in rural Kansas, and it blew the doors off this thing. I'd like to see more Roman Catholics getting mad about this stuff.

[Mattheos]

That's what happens when those void of spiritual enrichment attempt to enrich people spiritually. 

[Robert W]

Ugly architecture is ugly.
This is not a purely Roman Catholic phenomena though, it seems like beautiful Churches have been banned worldwide since WWII.

[LBK]

Ugly architecture is ugly.
This is not a purely Roman Catholic phenomena though, it seems like beautiful Churches have been banned worldwide since WWII.

Not quite. Here's one that was built between 1963-1970, based on traditional Novgorodian church architecture of the 11th to 14th centuries:

http://l.yimg.com/a/i/travel/tg/poi/77/240x240_775519ad9626dcabb41c7631c7a548c6.jpg

http://www.saintnicholasadelaide.org.au/uploads/3/0/7/9/3079852/5748353.jpg

[ialmisry]

LOL. Feeling as I do about Fatima, this doesn't cause me discomfort in the slightest.

[Jason.Wike]

Reminds me of the Scottish parliament building, it was supposed to be some kind of awesome modern thing but it just looks like some kind of giant Neanderthal-ant cave complex.

[Cymbyz]

Pardon me for harrumphing again, but that church has violations of the Golden Ratio throughout; it isn't beautiful mathematically, and it's way beyond human scale.  I daresay the reconstruction of Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow comes out looking angelic by comparison, even though that church, too, is very large.  As Dostoyevesky said, "Beauty will save the world." and add the corollary, "Ugliness will destroy the world."

[elijahmaria]

Pardon me for harrumphing again, but that church has violations of the Golden Ratio throughout; it isn't beautiful mathematically, and it's way beyond human scale.  I daresay the reconstruction of Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow comes out looking angelic by comparison, even though that church, too, is very large.  As Dostoyevesky said, "Beauty will save the world." and add the corollary, "Ugliness will destroy the world."

I am hoping and praying that it does not take 90 million dollars to tear it down eventually...

[Shanghaiski]

I've seen much worse. I just hope that everyone there will have a good view of the liturgical dancing.

[observer]

maximum security or bank vault?

[Carl Kraeff (Second Chance)]

We are building better looking fitness centers, for heaven's sake!

[samkim]

I can't believe it was designed by an Orthodox Christian.

[Jason.Wike]

I keep on looking back at this, didn't everyone learn decades ago this Brutalist/Rationalism-Fascist "architecture" is junk?

[Shanghaiski]

I can't believe it was designed by an Orthodox Christian.

Was it? (If it was, I can think of better ways of architecturalizing Fatima and Roman Catholicism.)

[Fr. George]

I can't believe it was designed by an Orthodox Christian.

IIRC, he was the designer/architect, but I'm sure he didn't provide the vision for the place.

Anyway - yes, I would consider it a poorly designed Church, and as an Orthodox Christian I see no reason to pay any more attention to it (or Fatima) than what it has taken to peruse this thread.  However, if God is praised there, then may He be magnified in it and the people who will pass through it.

[Orual]

I can't believe it was designed by an Orthodox Christian.

Was it? (If it was, I can think of better ways of architecturalizing Fatima and Roman Catholicism.)

It says so in the article:  "According to the August 30 Jornal de Notícias, Schad was selected because of 'his persistence' with Rector Guerra and the support of the basilica’s architect, the Greek Orthodox Alexandros Tombazis."

If I didn't know those pictures were real, I'd swear it was an artist's rendering of a 23rd century hospital to be used in the next Star Trek movie.  I thought the "crucifix" was a caduceus.  

[deusveritasest]

Good grief. The Cathedral of Christ the Light just having opened in Oakland in the past couple of years, it seems like "RC" architecture just keeps getting worse and worse.

[deusveritasest]

Ugly architecture is ugly.
This is not a purely Roman Catholic phenomena though, it seems like beautiful Churches have been banned worldwide since WWII.

What do you think about the new cathedral of the Armenian Diocese of the Western United States that is about to be consecrated next month? It seems pretty traditional to me.

[Father H]

Good grief. The Cathedral of Christ the Light just having opened in Oakland in the past couple of years, it seems like "RC" architecture just keeps getting worse and worse.

I believe there is a book out about this called "Ugly as Sin."  Don't recall the author

[deusveritasest]

Good grief. The Cathedral of Christ the Light just having opened in Oakland in the past couple of years, it seems like "RC" architecture just keeps getting worse and worse.

I believe there is a book out about this called "Ugly as Sin."  Don't recall the author

Are you referring to this book?

[Father H]

Good grief. The Cathedral of Christ the Light just having opened in Oakland in the past couple of years, it seems like "RC" architecture just keeps getting worse and worse.

I believe there is a book out about this called "Ugly as Sin."  Don't recall the author

Are you referring to this book?

Yes, that's the one!  Thank you for the link.  It is sad, but is reality.   

[ComingHome]

That is a truly hideous monstrosity.  Men on Churches say, "Hate it!"

But I think the face of "Christ"  from the Crucifix is even worse.

[Iconodule]

In a world where a bunch of dots on a canvas = "painting", and a bunch of meaningless sounds strung together = "poetry," this is what they call "architecture."