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How To Read a Church

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  • 03-09-2010 11:18am
    #1
    losthorizon
    Registered Users Posts: 4,565 ✭✭✭


    And no, please dont put this in the religion section.

    Anyone catch this programme that started on Wednesday night on BBC4? It should be repeated again before the new episode. I bought the Pocket guide a few years ago by the presenter Dr. Richard Taylor. The First Episode dealt with the Celts and Anglo-Saxons mainly. He started with the use of previously holy ground to build churchs eg to construct beside standing stones or in the middle of ring forts. Also, the incorporation of pagan symbols into church architecture like Sile-na-Gigs and the Green Man.

    A very interesting programme.

    The first episode is repeated on Saturday Night/ Sunday Morning at 3.25am

    An excellent programme


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    #2
    brianthebard
    Closed Accounts Posts: 16,165 ✭✭✭✭brianthebard


    pity the iplayer doesn't work in Ireland. Sounds like an interesting topic though, there is a church in sligo (at least one, perhaps others) where the altar is lined up with Maeve's grave on the top of Knocknarea. You can see it from the altar through a window, and this was clearly done on purpose. There may well be others.


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    #3
    Einhard
    Registered Users Posts: 6,920 ✭✭✭Einhard


    I watched it Thursday night and thought it was excellent. The presenter is both knowledgeable and enthusiastic, and this comes across in his presentation style. I also like that it's in bite size half hour chunks which makes it easier to digest. I would have liked though if he had started with something of the basic architecture of churches, but I suppose this has changed over time so it might be impossible. Is the book worth getting?


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    #4
    losthorizon
    Registered Users Posts: 4,565 ✭✭✭losthorizon


    Einhard wrote: »
    Is the book worth getting?

    I got the pocket guide so I could take it along with me to historical sites. I thought it was excellent. Its definitely worth getting. I'm not religious just interested in History and Archaeology. The Book also deals with places of worship on the continent as well which is handy.

    For those who are religious I imagine its a great insight into the minds of the earliest church builders.


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    #5
    NealB
    Closed Accounts Posts: 78 ✭✭NealB


    read John Michell's book 'New View Over Atlantis' It explains how and why geometry and astronomy were incorported into monumnets from the neolithic up to relitivly modern architecture, mainly churches/cathederals. Lots of maths in the second half.


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    #6
    Rebelheart
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 3,077 ✭✭✭Rebelheart


    Does anybody know the origin of the square spire which marks so many Anglican churches in Ireland? Has it any connection with the crown having supremacy over the church in the Anglican tradition?

    For example:

    St_Patrick's_CoI_Cathedral,_Armagh.jpg


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    #7
    Ostrom
    Registered Users Posts: 3,483 ✭✭✭Ostrom


    Meaning to get this for a while; anyone know if the pocket edition is the same as the previous editions?


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    #8
    InTheTrees
    Registered Users Posts: 9,900 ✭✭✭InTheTrees


    Rebelheart wrote: »
    Does anybody know the origin of the square spire which marks so many Anglican churches in Ireland? Has it any connection with the crown having supremacy over the church in the Anglican tradition?

    I thought the square tower was a feature of Norman churches. Originally catholic of course and then confiscated by the Anglicans so I dont think there was anything about divine right of monarchs in the architectural style.

    Spires were sometimes added in later years . And then obviously some churches would have been built in Norman style which looks like the one in your picture., although that tower looks even more recent than the rest of the building.


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    #9
    InTheTrees
    Registered Users Posts: 9,900 ✭✭✭InTheTrees


    brianthebard wrote: »
    pity the iplayer doesn't work in Ireland.

    Constantly frustrated by this. In this modern age of interwebs you'd think the beeb could get its crap together to offer its programming to us non-brits. Hell I'd even pay a small amount...


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    #10
    gobnaitolunacy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,073 ✭✭✭gobnaitolunacy


    There was a series, barely remember it, that dealt with the history of church architecture in Ireland, done back in the 80's.
    Maybe RTE might still have it available.


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    #11
    feargale
    Registered Users Posts: 8,636 ✭✭✭feargale


    How to read a church? Read every man-jack of them off the altar on Sunday. That's how. :D


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    #12
    crockholm
    Registered Users Posts: 2,448 ✭✭✭crockholm


    It is interesting how many of the C.o.I. churches are built without steeples,was it a case of using the same Blueprint and making minor alterations? Was it to clearly distinguish it from the more Puginesque R.C. churches in the early 19th Century ?

    Iirc,the first purpose built Anglican Church in the republic (there may be a Church in co.Down that pre-dates it) was built in Bandon around 1610 and that follows an English Gothic style,with steeple, yet the Blessington Church,built some 50-60 years after, is the more "Classic" design, i.e. without steeple.


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