In the endless sea of single-family homes, gray office buildings, and bog standard storefronts, the suburban environment surrounding M-A can feel uninspiring and leaves much to be desired in the realm of architectural design.
However, just a few blocks away from campus lies two Catholic churches with centuries of history embedded within their designs. Even if you do not believe in a particular religion, or any at all (as I do), the appreciation of beauty, history, and art is universal.
The Catholic Church of the Nativity on Oak Grove Ave, constructed in 1877, is connected with Nativity School just a couple blocks down. It falls under Gothic Revival, a style popular during the 18th and 19th centuries that displayed a more modern take on Gothic architecture with simplified forms or merging of styles.
What catches the eye at first glance of the church is the prominent steeple—a thin, tall, structure topped with an elongated, pointed spire—located front and center. Like architects of many other religions, since antiquity, it was believed in Catholicism that the higher the religious building, the closer it would be to God—hence the popular usage of steeples and spires.
Churches constructed in the somethingth century were traditionally constructed with stone of off-white or light gray which created a contrast between the heaviness of the material and the lightness of the color, ultimately increasing the presence of the building while maintaining a sense of airiness. The Church of the Nativity is a wooden structure, already appearing much more vibrant than a stone church, and with the bright white paint, the church feels delicate and pristine. Decorated with a manicured garden, the exterior of the church is exquisite, to say the least.
The floor plan of the church is cruciform, or in the shape of a cross. While cruciform plans existed before the Gothic era, a vast majority of Gothic churches were created with this shape, an homage to the crucifixion.
Stained-glass windows were popularized in Gothic churches with their functionality lying in the fact that most common people were illiterate, and having a visual representation of sermon topics created a more awe-inspiring experience. The symbolic meaning of light also gained greater religious significance during this area.
Located in the back is a large rose window, a symmetrical and circular stained-glass window, whose shape was popularized for its extra touch of embellishment. Depicting the namesake of the church, the rose window shows the scene of the nativity, or the birth of Jesus Christ.
Seen in the window frames and the hammer beams, the use of pointed arches continues into the interior, with doorways being in the shape of pointed arches. While first seen in Islamic architecture, the first usage of pointed arches in European buildings was during the Gothic era, becoming a staple of the style. The usage of pointed arches can help interiors feel expansive, following the general philosophy of the time that God was to be represented through means like light and spacious mass.
The interior is decorated most notably with a pointed hammer beam roof. While providing both structural integrity for an open roof and pleasing a Gothic architect’s palette for maximalist ornamentation, the hammer beam was an incredibly popular addition to English Gothic architecture. The dark stain of the church’s hammer beams contrasts the bright white of the exterior while still keeping balance with the dark wood of the pews.
The Church of the Nativity is one of the most gorgeous local buildings and serves as a time capsule for Gothic Revival architecture that can be found just down the street from M-A. Take a stroll just a couple blocks down Oak Grove to see the history for yourself.
