There are hundreds, perhaps thousands of church buildings which are closed each year as congregations "age out" and can no longer exist in their physical settings. Often these buildings are repurposed but some are demolished. Tough decisions are made about distributing the "holy hardware" of the congregation. Along with the communion tables and crosses there are decisions to be made about stained glass windows. often created in memory of family members and veterans. Some are dismantled and pieces used for artwork while others are in storage, likely never to be reinstalled in a building.
I was interested to see that a quiet Benedictine monastery in Germany with only a dozen monks recently dedicated a set of three commissioned stained glass windows in the choir of the church, thanks to two benefactors. They are the work of celebrated artist/designer Gerhard Richter and are ten metres in height. According to the New York Times:
THOLEY, Germany — For Abbot Mauritius Choriol, the new church windows being ceremoniously inaugurated on Saturday at Tholey Abbey are a gift: from God, from two generous patrons and from Gerhard Richter.The three windows — with deep reds and blues prevailing on the two outer displays and the central one dominated by radiant gold — are made in stained glass to a symmetrical design by Mr. Richter, the revered German artist. “Abstract art is not normally my thing,” said the abbot, who oversees Tholey Abbey. “But you don’t need to be an art expert to appreciate the qualities of these.”
The abbey, which dates back to the seventh century, also commissioned Mahbuba Maqsoodi, an Afghan-German artist, to create 34 more windows for the church. Her figurative images portray saints and scenes from the Bible.The hope is that the abbey, which has been hidden away from the world as a cloistered community, will become a tourist attraction, a plan which may be sidetracked by the pandemic.
As someone whose undergraduate degree was in art history I'm always intrigued by the choices of religious communities to praise God by visual means. Protestants have been suspicious of doing so for centuries and our church sanctuaries are often spartan and, frankly, boring.
Was this a faithful choice by Tholey Abbey in a world of need? While the gospel of Jesus Christ calls us to simplicity it also reminds us that we can respond to God's extravagant love with the best of our gifts.
What do you think?
I think we need sacred spaces, apart from our own homes and Nature, which tell us more about how God has spoken to humanity, in different times and places. Although "the church is not a building", as the hymn says, the buildings can glorify the Creator and bring us more into that Mystery that we call God. The decor/artwork in a church can be very effective in retelling the Gospel stories, or reinforcing the telling ...
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