Our Lady of the Lakes
The Church of Our Lady of the Lakes has a very special place in my heart. I was baptized in it, went there every Saturday for Mass, and sang in the choir during my high school years. I have always considered it a simple church when compared to cathedrals and basilicas, but learning about the architecture of churches has sparked a deeper appreciation for the details big and small that I missed, and helped me see beyond the structure.
Starting with the exterior, one of the most prominent features, in fact the only prominent feature, of the rather squat building is the tall, narrow steeple rising out of the top like a candle on a cake. It’s silhouette and stark white color recall New England meeting houses. Atop the tall, narrow steeple is a cross, an ornament proclaiming the purpose and use of the building, a place where people come and gather to worship. McNamara states that the purpose of an ornament is for clarification, and writes that it, “is part of the way in which the mere material stuff on earth takes on the garment of otherworldly beauty” (110). In front of the entrance, there are four white columns. They are straight and smooth, without any fluting going up the sides. The bases have a torus, followed by a larger plinth beneath it, while the tops are simple and Doric. These decorative aspects, McNamara explains, clarify “the structural forces at work in architecture in poetic fashion and usually appear[s] in places where forces change direction” (97) and make “the strain of pushing and pulling in physics look easy, graceful, and balanced” (105). The columns offer harmonic support to the building, making it sturdy while also appearing beautiful. Columns also have various symbolic meanings, but the one that fits this church most accurately is that they are a metaphor for “God’s support and blessing, things which do God’s work” (124).
Upon entering, it becomes clear that Our Lady of the Lakes is a Communal Church. It is quite small, with a compact walkway going down the middle from the main entrance right up to the altar, about three persons wide. It is well-lit by both windows and lights, and behind the elevated altar is a large depiction of Christ on the cross, with a spotlight making it a beacon to draw all eyes to the altar. Usually there are also festive, large, brightly-colored flower arrangements in front of the altar in an otherwise spartan interior. Behind it, the altar is framed by two pilasters that have more detailing on them than the ones outside providing a richer backdrop for the Mass celebration. There is a low, flat ceiling in the Church interior, giving the space a very horizontal appearance. When standing in front of the altar, one sees a baptismal font to the side, and beyond that is the tabernacle, elevated by a few stairs and usually adorned with flowers on either side. On the opposite side of the altar is a large piano in front of an elevated corner, with a very simple “mini screen” on either side in the form of handrails sectioning off the choir. In the seating area (the nave in a conventional church), there are no pews, only chairs with cushioned kneelers. There is very little space in the aisle for processions, and the flat ceiling does not allow for the acoustics of the priest to carry (in fact, he uses a small microphone in his robes, with speakers on the ceiling). The purpose of this place is, as Kieckhefer says, “to give people a sense of being gathered into a close community” (53). The interior of the church is designed for the churchgoer to feel intimate, involved with the community, involved with the whole congregation including the clergy — and feel the need to participate. This is, I believe, what Our Lady of the Lakes is designed for — the people. We are just as important a part of the structure as the architecture — maybe even more so. McNamara notes that Christians are called, “living stones.” The people are what make God present, and Our Lady of the Lakes’ simple structure offers festive rejoicing in the subtle ornaments and decorations thoughtfully placed within.
