“The Glass Sanctuary”
Marquand, William. “The Glass Sanctuary” Broadview: Spirituality, Justice and Ethical Living. Observer Publications, Inc. Volume 6, No. 7, December, 2024; 26-33.
Marquand, an architect, a Christian Scientist, and “lifelong student of worship spaces” (28), reflects on the purpose and architectural design of a sanctuary to wall in a nurturing cocoon and refuge for a congregation’s faith. But he warns that this design can also harden into steel-reinforced, opaque shells. He describes most modern commercial structures as full of glass and expansive views meant to interface with the public. However, traditional churches are built as “isolation chambers”(28), private, sacred alternatives visibly separating believers and nonbelievers. He asks: “Does purity of message demand architectural isolation” (29)? Churches often have many windows emitting light, but still no visible engagement with what is going on outside their walls. Marquand then highlights a few exceptions, including the unique First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Berkeley, California, designed by the architect Bernard Maybeck. Although built of concrete and wood, the church’s side walls were replaced with steel frames of misty glass which allows a subtle awareness of the living community outside to interface with the sermon and worship. The effect, according to Marquand, is to suggest “a divinity that is not dualistic but ever-present” and “a better fit with the Gospel’s spirit of divinity without borders” (32).
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ISSN (Print): 2562-4482
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