Status: Active, Roman Catholic

Founded: 1848
Construction: 1887

1229 W. Lancaster Avenue
Villanova, PA 19085

http://archphila.org/parishes/8475.htm

http://www.stthomasofvillanova.org/

The *Philadelphia Area* Church Project returns! And as college students all across the Delaware Valley return to the grind of learning, leisure and licentiousness, the Project takes this opportunity to go back to as well! Not the school part, since our licentious days are mostly behind us. But it is an opportune moment to visit one of the nicest college churches around, Villanova University’s St. Thomas of Villanova.

The Philadelphia Church Project: Special Campus Edition!

This is no basement chapel, however. St. Thomas is a picaresque Gothic structure whose spires loom large and majestically not only over Villanova’s campus, but over much of Lancaster Avenue as well.

Factor in superb landscaping that places it at the apex of a bucolic, foliage-lined path, and you have a sight that makes most church enthusiasts drop to their knees. I once praised St. Francis Xavier for being picaresque, but St. Thomas is easily its equal in that regard. It’s no surprise, then, that it’s a hotbed for weddings, and it almost always shows up in photographs, paintings and just about every promotional pamphlet Villanova has ever produced.

All is well in college land…until you go inside.

Operator? Connect me to Mr. Tabula Rasa, please.

Yes, again. Like all plaster churches, St. Thomas has been touched up—in their case, multiple times, as their detailed online history will tell you. In the current incarnation, all traces of ornamentation have been stripped away and replaced with a straight-up white paint job. Every nook, cranny, and crevasse is white. Hell, even the stations of the cross.

Sound familiar? It should. Neighboring Our Mother of Good Counsel took the same approach. We saw how that turned out.

Throw in some unimpressive stained-glass windows, especially the God-awful clerestories, and you have a church that doesn’t rank very high on anyone’s ornamentation lists. Sure, there’s something oddly alluring and pure about it, but come on, guys. This building deserves better.

Even worse, they’ve embraced modern trends by moving the altar out into the nave, something the Project hates more than just about anything else. And to add insult to injury, there’s no altar backpiece. Lord knows where it went, but its absence makes the whole thing just seem paltry.

It’s a shame because, structurally, it’s a physically impressive columned, non-cruciform (save for two weird side shrines) design, and with the right ornamentation—heck, even just a decent paint-job—it could be really timeless, especially given the exterior beauty. As it is, it’s just one big white disappointing blob.

LOOK FOR IT: A church project rarity, St. Thomas’ soaring gothic columns actually curve around the front of the church and into the sanctuary. We’ve only seen that once before, with Church of the Advocate, but the effect is much more pronounced here. It makes me wonder how the original designers even worked the traditional sanctuary / nave separation, since it doesn’t seem like something that would flow seamlessly in this space. Time to go scouting for some old pictures, methinks.

Anyway, St. Thomas’ physical gifts are still considerable. But if you’re thinking strictly ornamentation, don’t bother.

Size Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Ornamentation Rating: 5.5 out of 10

Overall Design Rating: 7.5 out of 10 kegs

Villanova is easily accessible by Route 476 and, to a lesser extent, Lancaster Avenue, although traffic on the latter can be problematic at times. Even better, the school’s main parking lot faces the church, so parking is a snap.

The Main Line is still the most harmless and inoffensive place you’ll find, so safety is a complete non-issue. Unless, that is, you encounter drunk and rowdy students, but the odds of that on Sunday morning at 10:30 a.m. are pretty slim. Heck, you could probably even walk around with money sticking out of your pockets.

Safety Rating: 10 out of 10 campus police

Two notes here:

First, the mass was celebrated by none other than Father Peter Donahue, Villanova’s president, who adds a theatrical, charismatic flair to the proceedings. There are few better homilists around, and his presence alone is worth the price of admission.

Also, this is not the only parish church. St. Thomas established a mission chapel and school down the road in Rosemont. Both are still in operation—the parish actually holds roughly half of its masses at the Rosemont chapel, but since it’s a 1956-era modern monstrosity, the Project is staying far away. And you should, too.