The reason Catholic Churches are so ornate is that beauty is one of the three transcendentals that point to God, along with truth and goodness.
Why are churches decorated?
Some people prefer a decorative church as they feel it creates a sense of awe and creates the atmosphere of the church being a holy place. This allows worshippers to reflect on the splendour of God. God’s temple in the Old Testament was ornate to reflect His glory, so some people feel churches should also be ornate.
Why are Catholic churches decorated?
Churches should elaborately decorated to show God’s glory. Decorations should include paintings and statues of Jesus and the saints, candles, gold and jewels.
Why are churches the shape they are?
Shape: they are most often built in a cruciform shape (cross shaped) Probably a fairly obvious reasoning behind this feature – the cross of course represents the cross in Christian teachings on which Jesus died for our sins.
Why are Catholic cathedrals so big?
The cost of these buildings was vast – but the money to pay for these huge buildings came from the people via the many payments they had to make to the Roman Catholic Church. … But for all this, the most common driving force was to build a magnificent building for the greater glory of God.
Why are churches built facing east?
Liturgical east and west is a concept in the orientation of churches. … Traditionally churches are constructed so that during the celebration of the morning liturgy the priest and congregation face towards the rising sun, a symbol of Christ and the Second Coming.
Are the four marks of the Church?
The words one, holy, catholic and apostolic are often called the four marks of the Church.
What is the room behind the altar called?
sacristy, also called vestry, in architecture, room in a Christian church in which vestments and sacred objects used in the services are stored and in which the clergy and sometimes the altar boys and the choir members put on their robes.
What is Jesus on the cross called?
A crucifix (from Latin cruci fixus meaning “(one) fixed to a cross”) is an image of Jesus on the cross, as distinct from a bare cross. The representation of Jesus himself on the cross is referred to in English as the corpus (Latin for “body”).