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My fourth paper for English Composition 1 class.

God In Design
Ryan Watters
God's Bible School & College

God In Design

As I walked in I was awestruck at the magnitude of the size and beauty of the structure. It’s towering pillars, and cavernous proportions fill you with a sense of awe and reverence. During my time at St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption in Covington, Kentucky I was overcome with such a sense of reverence that I was driven to near silence. It was then I understood that, as Litchfield says, this was its intention. (2006)

The early church was plagued by illiteracy. Because of this most people were not able to learn about God by reading the Bible on their own. So the church began to build cathedrals to show what God is like. This was done in several ways.

One of the first parallels the designers used to represent God is the colossal height of the structure. Rising eighty-one feet into the air, a person cannot help but feel small under its towering grandeur. The prodigious columns that rise boldly from the floor accentuate the ceiling’s height. My eyes naturally followed these columns, and I was eventually left gazing upward. The ceiling is painted white, quite possibly to represent heaven given the fact that heaven is usually associated with the color white. This directly parallels the Christian’s view of God as being vastly above, and greater than themselves. 1 Peter 5:6 states that a Christian is to humble themselves under the mighty God. I can think of no better physical equivalent of this relationship than the awe fostered by the soaring cathedral ceiling.

The enormity of the cathedral on a horizontal plane works with the towering ceiling to create and even greater sense of wonder. Spanning 180 feet, the tremendous expanse harmonizes perfectly with the height of the ceiling to represent God’s omnipresence. Psalm 139 describes God’s presence as being in heaven and hell, but also as “rising on the wings of the dawn” and, “settle[ing] on the far side of the sea,” indicating a horizontal direction; this parallels the great length of the cathedral. So not only is God’s presence far above man, but it also surrounds him in all areas. This spatial orientation is yet another physical equivalent to Christian beliefs. Having said that, there is an even more amazing use of this horizontal space. The more you look at this building the more you realize that the cathedral is actually designed in the shape of a cross with the 180 foot span forming the main shaft. This is perhaps the strongest evidence that the purpose of this building was to teach the Christian faith.

Still, there is a drawback to having all this empty space lying around you, in that you never quite feel secure within the cathedral. This bypasses the Christian belief that God is a God of love, and a “Heavenly Father”. Under normal conditions you would not feel uneasy in the presence of a father, but you do in the cathedral. A parallel to this feeling would be a private in the presence of a general. So, while the cathedral highly excels at creating a sense of awe and wonder, even worship, it falls short of showing God’s personal relationship with His people.

The stained glass windows add an irreplaceable beauty to the cathedral by splashing a myriad of colors on the interior of the cathedral. These colors could represent the fact that Christians believe God to be a very creative God, who often expresses Himself through the use of colors. Still, I believe the windows to have a much deeper meaning. The tradition of stained glass windows originated from a time when many people were illiterate, and, therefore, were not able to read the Bible for themselves. To help solve this problem they began illustrating key biblical doctrines through stories etched in the glass. In this way, people could learn key elements of the Bible by looking at the stained glass windows. What better way to “show” God to the individual than to literally depict His Word, the Bible, on glass? So not only are the people learning about God from the design of the cathedral, but also through the portrayal of biblical events on the stained glass windows.

Even the flooring has symbolic significance. The floor surrounding the pew seating is simple, unornamented concrete. This again calls attention to the Christians concept of humility. While the symbolic beauty of God may surround him, he is to remember his place with humility. The aisle contrasts this humble design with its lavish elegance. With it’s beautiful marble tiles I cannot help but notice the demarcation of the roles between God and man. I was literally startled when I walked into the pew seating because of the difference between the two. The tile, which could represent God, was beautiful, ornate marble, while the pew flooring is simple concrete. Considering that the many other ornate features of the cathedral are meant to draw your attention to God it would follow that the ornate tile was intended to do the same. Also, there are three green lines running from the back of the church up to the front where they meet at the altar. This could simply be for aesthetics, but it could also signify the Holy Trinity, which is a doctrinal cornerstone of the Christian faith.

The cathedral also engenders a feeling of unity. One of the most important contributors to this feeling is the construction of the arches. While this design was certainly intended for functional architecture, the way it was built leads me to believe it also has symbolic significance. For example, the arches could have simply been laid from one side of the building to the other, and indeed a few are, but the majority goes out of their way to connect at a single point. This could have various interpretations. First, it could represent that God is eternal. The arches essentially form a circle indicating a never ending, or eternal, existence. Finally, it could denote that God is sovereign. Sovereignty can be defined in several ways, but in relation to God it would represent His power over everything. As there is no gap in the arches, there is no gap in His sovereignty, or rule over everything. The designers of the cathedral obviously wanted to instill a sense of awe, and it is for this reason that I believe the original intent was to convey the unbroken sovereignty of God.

The people were also taught about God through the use of music. The three organs the church possesses evidence this. While most of the songs sung in the early days of this cathedral were in Latin, a language most did not speak, the music by itself was innately powerful. So, while most were not able to understand the words of the music, they could still receive the intended impression. I was recently privileged to attend a special service at the cathedral consisting almost entirely of music. Standing there listening to the sensational music as it rose and fell I was moved to worship. It was then that I really embraced the concept that not only did the people learn about God through the symbolism of the building, but they also learned about Him through the music played during the service.

Just as someone in awe of God cannot limit the source of the emotion to a specific attribute of Him, neither can we limit the sense of awe engendered by St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption to a single attribute. Rather it is the culmination of all of these separate elements joined together which evokes that sense of wonder and reverence. Even this feeling was intended to teach something about God. When a Christian enters His presence he is to be reverent and in awe of God. A Christian should never go before God with a cavalier, or supercilious attitude. If a person is sensitive enough to their surroundings, the aura of the cathedral will almost ensure this does not happen.

However, this again narrows the portrayal of God down to a more distant, sovereign viewpoint. It does not portray God as the loving Father He is. So, while it overwhelmingly succeeds in its attempt to portray God’s sovereignty, it falls short at embodying His personal relationship to His people.

Some may question whether or not cathedrals still have their place in modern society. While it is true that most people today are no longer illiterate, and can read the Bible for themselves, most will not. In that case, the symbolism is still just as necessary today as it was when the cathedral was originally built. Having said that, many people who read the Bible still do not have a proper concept of God’s sovereignty. A balanced view of both God’s personal relationship, and His sovereignty is essential to a proper understanding of God. Yet many people have been instilled with only a sense of God’s love within a personal relationship, and have an inadequate appreciation of His sovereignty. This is where the cathedral comes in. The cathedral serves to balance a faulty concept of God’s sovereignty by portraying it in a physical manner. I must admit that I grew up reading about God, and knew many things about Him. And I knew about God’s love. But I have rarely been more admiring of God’s sovereignty than I was that day in the cathedral.

Reference

Litchfield, J. (2006, October). Gothic cathedrals. Speech given for Public Speaking class at God’s Bible School & College. Cincinnati

St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica Pamphlet. St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption.