Grace Cathedral at 50: Defining beautiful architecture

A San Francisco sacred space / Grace Cathedral turns 50 this week.

How does one define beautiful architecture?

"Space has always been the spiritual dimension of architecture," the 20th century Canadian architect and urban planner Arthur Erickson once said. "It is not the physical statement of the structure so much as what it contains that moves us."

Grace Cathedral is the third
largest Episcopal cathedral
in the United States.

One of my favorite spaces in the entire world -- and one that I've experienced many times during the past two decades -- sits tall atop Nob Hill in San Francisco. The vibrant city's famous cable cars pass by it on the California Street side of this sacred space. It's a place that I return to often on Sundays, especially during Lent for Easter Sunday and in the season of Advent to worship on Christmas Eve. 

That space is Grace Cathedral, a place to explore; a place to go deeper in one's faith. It is the third largest Episcopal cathedral in the nation, and this week, Grace Cathedral turns 50.

Each time I climb the staircase that frames the cathedral's entrance on Taylor Street and enter this sacred space, I am moved by the beauty of the cathedral's French Gothic architecture, designed by Lewis P. Hobart; the Ghiberti Doors that are opened for special occasions; and the vaulted ceiling arches. There is much to admire in this exalted sacred space -- and photograph, too.

The Keith Haring AIDS Chapel altarpiece.

There's the lyrical Rose window above the main entrance with its the colorful prism-like reflections of light beaming through it and through the stained-glass windows, bathing the pillars and indoor labyrinth in beautiful colors.

There's the historical aisle murals that were painted by Polish painter Jan Henryk De Rosen between 1949-1950 and composed in a style blending the stylistic elements of early Italian masters Giotto and Mantegna.

And, there's the Keith Haring AIDS Chapel altarpiece.

Colorful prism-like colors beam
through the stained-glass
windows onto the indoor
labyrinth at Grace Cathedral.

Cathedrals have long been places of pilgrimage, and Grace Cathedral is celebrating its past, its present and its sustainable future. Work was begun on the present cathedral structure in 1928 and its completion and consecration took place in 1964. Duke Ellington performed his televised Concert of Sacred Music inside Grace Cathedral on September 26, 1965.

I enjoy worshiping at Grace Cathedral, absorbed by its sacred space, which is defined by the beauty of its art, including its medieval and contemporary furnishings. There's also the echoing sound of the majestic Æolian-Skinner pipe organ; the 44 bell carillon, and the harmonious voices of the Choir of Men and Boys.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Of course, the homilies are meaningful, whether delivered by the Dean of the Cathedral, a visiting theologian, or by a guest homilist such as Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the anthropologist Dr. Jane Goodall or the playwright Anna Devere Smith.

And, they are always thought provoking, too.

Marcel Proust wrote how "Love is space and time measured by the heart." 

In Grace Cathedral, a house of prayer for everyone, I find solace here each time I visit.

And I know God's generous love awaits me.

To learn more about Grace Cathedral:

http://www.gracecathedral.org/

All photographs by Michael Dickens, © 2014.

A sacred space is graced with light

Sacred space /Graced With Light

Imagine a series of light pathways that connect heaven and earth, manifest as ribbons.

Graced With Light is a stunning, music-inspired installation created by American visual artist Anne Patterson that incorporates a French Gothic-style cathedral's vaulted ceiling arches.

In engaging audiences through this remarkable creation that synthesizes art and music, light and sound, space and self, Graced With Light, which had its debut last month in San Francisco's Grace Cathedral, brings the beauty of art into a famed sacred space.

Grace Cathedral, whose ancestral parish, Grace Church, was founded in 1849 during the California Gold Rush, has always been a place to belong; a place to explore; a place to go deeper in one's faith. And, Graced With Light, part of a celebration of 100 Years of Music at Grace Cathedral, is designed to grow and change.

As I entered Grace Cathedral on an overcast Easter Sunday morning, I saw the Episcopal cathedral, located on Nob Hill, in a brand new light. What I witnessed was miles upon miles of colorful ribbon ~ 20 miles-worth of shimmering ribbon ~ hand-assembled by Patterson, this year's cathedral artist in residence, with help from the Grace Cathedral community.

Each viewing of Graced With Light will be different thanks to the way in which light reflects inside the cathedral from both the natural ceiling lights as well as from the many colorful stained glass windows.

The message Patterson has conveyed is a personal one ~ and one which left a lasting impression with me. Imagine ribbons carrying our prayers, our dreams and our wishes skyward. And, in return, see grace streaming down the ribbons to each of us.

Graced With Light will be on view at Grace Cathedral through this summer.

To learn more about Graced With Light: http://www.gracecathedral.org/air.

A sacred space for the 21st century is upon us: Its name is the Cathedral of Christ the Light.

Drawing upon the tradition of light as a
sacred phenomenon.

Imagine a 21st century sacred space built with modest materials ~ primarily wood, glass and concrete ~ that draws on the tradition of light as a sacred phenomenon, and during daytime hours is lit entirely by natural daylight. There is such a sacred space.

The Cathedral of Christ the Light is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland, Calif. It is the seat of the Bishop of Oakland and it is also a pivotal point of worship for Catholics throughout the city of Oakland as well as Alameda County.

The cathedral's name is a departure from the Catholic tradition of naming cathedrals after Mary the Mother of God or a patron saint.

Cathedral of Christ the Light /
Reflections of a city and of its cathedral.

Built in 2008 and bordering the city's Lake Merritt, the Cathedral of Christ the Light replaced the Cathedral of Saint Francis de Sales, which was irreparably damaged in the Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989 that shook the Bay Area.

"It is a spiritual font that inspires and unites our richly diverse diocese in its mission to sanctify, educate and serve," says Reverend Raymond Sacca, rector of The Cathedral of Christ the Light, on its website http://www.ctlcathedral.org/. "Whenever I enter the cathedral, I find myself drawn beyond the worries and distractions of the day into the majestic, yet serene, presence of Christ whose compassion and peace lift up my spirit."

An amazing structure with a wooden /
glass skin that creates an interior
full of light.

It is inviting to experience Mass in this sacred, light-infused Modernist space. It is also a welcoming space for listening to a concert of uplifting music or sitting quietly for a few minutes in a pew simply to enjoy and admire the sanctuary.

The architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP designed the sacred space that is The Cathedral of Christ the Light, calling it "an amazing structure with a wooden/glass skin that creates an interior full of light." Ground was broken on May 21, 2005 and was consecrated and dedicated on September 25, 2008. It was built on a site of 2.5 acres and the cathedral structure itself consumes 20,996 square meters. The exterior of the sanctuary is 118-feet high and has seating for 1,350 people.

The main Cathedral superstructure, which is located at the busy Oakland intersection of Grand Avenue and Harrison Street, across from Lake Merritt, is unlike any I have ever seen. I've driven by the cathedral hundreds of times and its beauty never ceases to amaze me. 

According to the architect, the superstructure consists of a "hybrid structural system of reinforced concrete, pre-fabricated glued laminated wood timber members, high-strength structural steel rods paired with glued laminated wood compression struts, and a steel friction-pendulum seismic base isolation system. The superstructure is supported atop an eighteen-foot-high mausoleum substructure of reinforced concrete extending to a reinforced concrete mat foundation."

21st century thinking / The lightest ecological
 footprint was always a core design objective. 

"As its name suggests, the Cathedral draws on the tradition of light as a sacred phenomenon," says the architectural website Archdaily.com ~ http://www.archdaily.com. "Through its poetic introduction, indirect daylight ennobles modest materials ~ primarily wood, glass, and concrete. With the exception of evening activities, the Cathedral is lit entirely by daylight to create an extraordinary level of luminosity."

What is impressive to the casual observer is learning that the lightest ecological footprint was always a core design objective. Also, it is encouraging to find out that through a highly innovative use of renewable materials, the building minimizes the use of energy and natural resources.

Indeed, the Cathedral of Christ the Light is a sacred space with a 21st century sensibility.

To read more about The Cathedral of Christ the Light, please see:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathedral_of_Christ_the_Light

To view a colorful pictorial of The Cathedral of Christ the Light, please see:

http://www.archdaily.com/13276/the-cathedral-of-christ-the-light-som/

To read an article from Architectural Record about the cathedral, please see:

http://archrecord.construction.com/projects/portfolio/archives/0901cathedral-1.asp

All photographs by Michael Dickens, copyright 2012. All rights reserved.