Church Project Theorem #4: Tweener Churches. I’ve probably made it clear by now that this project is dedicated to the old school, grandiose, ornate churches. But there’s a class of churches that straddles the line. They were built far enough back that they’re big and grand, but they were built late enough that they eschew most of the fancy, truly ornate stuff, opting instead for big, bold, clean lines and angles. St. Martin of Tours is one of those churches.
It’s big, alright. One of the biggest around. But where older churches filled out the design with precious little carvings, engravings or pilasters, Martin of Tours is content to just be big. There are no frills, and not even a tower or a dome. Really, it’s just a huge, sheer quasi-rectangle of holiness.
Inside, the church is predictably grandiose, given its exterior mass. But it’s also fairly pretty. Interestingly, it’s done in a strange green tile, which I’ve never seen anywhere else. Under some circumstances it vaguely resembles a bath house, particularly given the color. (Really, why light green?) But really, I’m nitpicking. It’s really quite nice, and probably the best of its kind this far north. Oh, and the altar is surrounded by a neat little enclave. You can visit their site (http://www.smtparish.org/) to sort of get the idea.
Upper v. Lower Church, v2: Yep, the second straight occurrence…the vigil mass is frustratingly held downstairs. Luckily, fate just happens to shine on me, as the Upper Church is open for a wedding. Not as good as actually having mass up there, but at least we got to see it.
Size Rating: 9.5 out of 10
Ornamentation Rating: 7 out of 10
Overall Design Rating: 8 out of 10 crosses
