A contemporary interpretation of the second Vatican council liturgy on sacred Catholic architecture a church at the shrine of Ngome, KwaZulu-Natal.
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Date
2014
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Abstract
Pre-modern, modern and postmodern paradigms set the contextual backdrop for this
dissertation, where the evolution of human consciousness or man’s understanding of being-in-
the-world has - throughout time - resulted in theological and liturgical changes within the
Catholic Church. The convening of the Second Vatican Council during the mid-twentieth
century - called to address the secular modern world - saw the Catholic faith undergo a
liturgical reformation, whereby the formational pillars of the Church were reassessed. Greater
laity participation within the symbolic Mystical Body of Christ or Church meant that power
relations between the clergy and the laity began to take on a new form. This, in conjunction
with the development of the modernist movement; manifests itself spatially and
experientially within the liturgical celebration, thereby impacting on sacred Catholic
architecture.
This dissertation aims at investigating sacred Catholic architecture in contemporary time and
comprises three consecutive stages of thought, all of which have a relationship of cause and
effect. Firstly, ‘the evolution of human consciousness and its effect on Catholic theology’ will
be investigated, followed by, ‘the Second Vatican Council and the modern world’, and lastly,
‘the impact of the Second Vatican Council liturgy on contemporary sacred Catholic
architecture’. The aim of this investigation is to pursue a pragmatic approach towards a
design guideline.
By means of a hermeneutic approach, this dissertation investigates a contemporary
interpretation of sacred catholic architecture stemming from the liturgical reforms of
Vatican II; thereby arguing that a contemporary faith requires a contemporary architecture.
Furthermore, it seeks to investigate the relationship between a universal Catholic faith, and a
vernacular conscious Church, by interpreting Ricouer’s (1961) ‘Universal Civilisation.’ The
significance of the phenomenon of pilgrimage in the sacramental life of the Catholic Church
is then outlined suggesting a way forward for the design of a contemporary Catholic Church
at the Marian Shrine of 5gome.
Description
Master of Architecture. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 2014.
Keywords
Theses--Architecture., Church architecture., Catholic architects--South Africa--KwaZulu-Natal., Catholic institutions--Buildings.