The Episcopal Church and Visual Arts

Building Anglican Liturgy

Response: Giving Form to Anglican Liturgy in the City Churches of London
John W. Dixon, Jr.

If the 14th century monastic church is not a good one to imitate, neither is it appropriate to imitate Wren and Hawksmoor. They would do better for us than medieval Gothic but we no longer speak their architectural language. We learn from them in attending to their architectural eloquence, understanding the principles that governed their work. Their churches are still instructively valid but time-bound. Their principles are universal and define the task of building a church in our own time. We too must think through what a church is, the church in this particular place, what the rightful liturgy for that church is, what forms are necessary for the performance of the liturgy and for its expressive enhancement. The "look" of a church proceeds from the proper performance of those tasks, not the liturgical task from a chosen look.

"We study the work of others", said Paul Klee, "in order to set ourselves in motion." With the help of these two books, we can approach the study of these churches as valid interpretations of the Christian experience and a guide to how we should do our own work. •



Main Conversation Page How Do Visual Arts Shape Spiritual Life? Building Anglican Liturgy Art and Spirituality Photo courtesy of the author St. Stephen Walbrook				Building Anglican Liturgy Response: Giving Form to Anglican Liturgy in the City Churches of London John W. Dixon, Jr. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 If the 14th century monastic church is not a good one to imitate, neither is it appropriate to imitate Wren and Hawksmoor. They would do better for us than medieval Gothic but we no longer speak their architectural language. We learn from them in attending to their architectural eloquence, understanding the principles that governed their work. Their churches are still instructively valid but time-bound. Their principles are universal and define the task of building a church in our own time. We too must think through what a church is, the church in this particular place, what the rightful liturgy for that church is, what forms are necessary for the performance of the liturgy and for its expressive enhancement. The "look" of a church proceeds from the proper performance of those tasks, not the liturgical task from a chosen look. "We study the work of others", said Paul Klee, "in order to set ourselves in motion." With the help of these two books, we can approach the study of these churches as valid interpretations of the Christian experience and a guide to how we should do our own work. •
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