Cathedrals

Thanks to St. Athanasius Church in Santa Barbara, my long-dormant interest in Cathedral construction has been re-kindled. They're building one. The price tag: at least 7 million; a small price to pay for this portal to the Kingdom of Heaven.

I'm fascinated by the philosophical, theological, and practical considerations involved in building a Cathedral.

Fr. Thomas Hopko wrote a series of very helpful "intro to Orthodoxy" books. He talks about theology of church architecture: "Orthodox Church architecture reveals that God is with men, dwelling in them and living in them through Christ and the Spirit. It does so by using the dome or the vaulted ceiling to crown the Christian church building [...] Unlike the pointed arches which point to God far up in the heavens, the dome or the spacious, all-embracing ceiling gives the impression that in the Kingdom of God, and in the Church, Christ 'unites all things in himself, things in heaven and things on earth' (Eph. 1:10)."

The dome is certainly the distinguishing feature of an Orthodox Cathedral. Interesting that the form of the church building is an expression of "Immanuel," God with us.

Related: I appreciate this song by Jump Little Children, Cathedrals. Thanks, Taylor Gray - friend, graphic designer, and visual artist - for the introduction.