St. Thomas of Villanova Church
Encyclopedia
St. Thomas of Villanova Church is a Roman Catholic church on the campus of Villanova University
. Completed in 1887, it had long been the center of Augustinian
activity in the United States, and still plays an important role within the province
. Today, the church functions as the parish church for St. Thomas of Villanova parish as well as the University Chapel for Villanova University. The church's dual Gothic revival spires have long been symbolic of the University.
hood, which became Villanova University; and an academy for Catholic boys, which now exists as Malvern Preparatory School
. In 1843, Villanova College opened its doors for its first few classes, becoming the center of Augustinian life in the United States, a position it would retain for over 70 years.
Ground was broken for the church on March 29, 1883. The cornerstone
was laid on June 3, 1883, and blessed by Jeremiah F. Shanahan
, Bishop of Harrisburg
. The building project was begun under the leadership of the Augustinian provincial, Fr. Christopher McEvoy, O.S.A.
along with the pastor
, prior
, and president of Villanova College, Fr. Joseph A. Coleman, O.S.A. The church was completed in 1887 under Reverend James J. Blake, O.S.A.
The architect of the Gothic Revival church, Edwin F. Durang of the Philadelphia
architectural firm of John E. Carver, based the 137 feet (41.8 m) twin spire
s of the church on the south spire of the 13th century French Cathedral
at Chartres. With no known claim to the contrary, it is assumed that, at the time of its construction, the church's spires were the tallest man-made structure between the Delaware River
and Lancaster
.
Fr. Thomas Middleton, an Augustinian historian, states in his 1893 account of the building of the church that Durang designed the building "façade with two towers, each 18 square feet and 63 feet high, surmounted by eight-sided spires.... Durang created a European-like interior, measuring 60 feet in breadth and 143 ½ feet in length, exclusive of the sacristy, [which includes a] prolongation of the sanctuary
, terminating in a large deep apsidal
choir for the use of the religious.... The interior woodwork is all of oak including the pews and the stalls in the choir for the fraternity. The choir is divided by six clustered columns supporting groin
ed arches. The side aisles of the nave are divided into six bays, each 15 square feet, also with groined ceiling."
The original church contained seven altar
s: four for the congregation, one in the side chapel of Our Lady of Good Counsel
, and the other two in the retro choir. Standing in the center of the sacristy
, the main altar was made of Italian polished marble
with Indiana stone filigree screen. The altar had two tables and double tabernacles
, one facing the congregation, and the other choir. It was not unusual for two mass
es to be said simultaneously. However, as the number of congregants increased, the filigree screen was removed to enable all to see the service.
The church's interior was originally very ornate, in keeping with the taste of the times, including faux marble, gilded
columns and walls, and large oil paint
ed murals of "The Assumption of St. Joseph" and "Our Mother of Good Counsel". The seven-sectioned dome
in the apse contained life-sized paintings in distemper
of St. Thomas of Villanova
, St. Augustine
and St. Patrick
, and oval medallions containing bust
s of the Four Evangelists
. Deterioration caused these dome paintings to be replaced in the 1940s.
.
In 1965, Vatican II posed a significant challenge to churches such as Villanova, as its cruciform
design was not easily modified. Fr. Henry Greenlee, O.S.A. oversaw the first significant modifications due to the new doctrine, as he commissioned the installation of a temporary wooden altar which faced the congregation. Later, a permanent, smaller marble altar was installed on a single tier with the marble altar railings removed.
s. Under the direction of Fr. Anthony Genovese, the parish and University communities commissioned a major renovation in 1992.
Today the church is nearly entirely whitewash
ed on the interior, and lit by blue stained glass
windows. Much of the original decoration has been preserved, although moved to different locations in the parish and campus
. The windows enclosing the nave
depict the life of St. Augustine.
of St. Thomas of Villanova. With Rosemont Chapel in nearby , the parish hosts four weekend masses for the parishioners and three Sunday night masses for the students at the University, as well as daily masses at Corr Chapel on the University's campus.
The Sunday night student-oriented masses are strengthened by the participation of Villanova University's Pastoral Musicians. The largest music group on campus, Pastoral Musicians boasts over 60 singers in the SATB
choir, over 35 instrumentalists, and a bell choir
.
The church is also a popular site for student wedding
s, as well as for funeral
s for prominent members of the University.
Villanova University
Villanova University is a private university located in Radnor Township, a suburb northwest of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States...
. Completed in 1887, it had long been the center of Augustinian
Order of Saint Augustine
The Order of St. Augustine —historically Ordo Eremitarum Sancti Augustini", O.E.S.A.), generally called Augustinians is a Catholic Religious Order, which, although more ancient, was formally created in the thirteenth century and combined of several previous Augustinian eremetical Orders into one...
activity in the United States, and still plays an important role within the province
Ecclesiastical Province
An ecclesiastical province is a large jurisdiction of religious government, so named by analogy with a secular province, existing in certain hierarchical Christian churches, especially in the Catholic Church and Orthodox Churches and in the Anglican Communion...
. Today, the church functions as the parish church for St. Thomas of Villanova parish as well as the University Chapel for Villanova University. The church's dual Gothic revival spires have long been symbolic of the University.
History
The land on which the church and school sit was purchased from the Rudolph family by the Augustinians on October 13, 1841. The intent was to create a center of Augustinian life; an organized program of education for the priestPriest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
hood, which became Villanova University; and an academy for Catholic boys, which now exists as Malvern Preparatory School
Malvern Preparatory School
Malvern Preparatory School, commonly referred to as Malvern Prep, is an independent Catholic middle and high school for boys located in Malvern, Pennsylvania. It was started and is still run by Order of Saint Augustine...
. In 1843, Villanova College opened its doors for its first few classes, becoming the center of Augustinian life in the United States, a position it would retain for over 70 years.
Ground was broken for the church on March 29, 1883. The cornerstone
Cornerstone
The cornerstone concept is derived from the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation, important since all other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure.Over time a cornerstone became a ceremonial masonry stone, or...
was laid on June 3, 1883, and blessed by Jeremiah F. Shanahan
Jeremiah F. Shanahan
Jeremiah Francis Shanahan was an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was the first Bishop of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania .-Biography:...
, Bishop of Harrisburg
Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg covers 15 counties of South Central Pennsylvania: Adams, Columbia, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Mifflin, Montour, Northumberland, Perry, Snyder, Union and York. The seat of the bishop is in St...
. The building project was begun under the leadership of the Augustinian provincial, Fr. Christopher McEvoy, O.S.A.
Order of Saint Augustine
The Order of St. Augustine —historically Ordo Eremitarum Sancti Augustini", O.E.S.A.), generally called Augustinians is a Catholic Religious Order, which, although more ancient, was formally created in the thirteenth century and combined of several previous Augustinian eremetical Orders into one...
along with the pastor
Pastor
The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation. When used as an ecclesiastical styling or title, this role may be abbreviated to "Pr." or often "Ps"....
, prior
Prior
Prior is an ecclesiastical title, derived from the Latin adjective for 'earlier, first', with several notable uses.-Monastic superiors:A Prior is a monastic superior, usually lower in rank than an Abbot. In the Rule of St...
, and president of Villanova College, Fr. Joseph A. Coleman, O.S.A. The church was completed in 1887 under Reverend James J. Blake, O.S.A.
The architect of the Gothic Revival church, Edwin F. Durang of the Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
architectural firm of John E. Carver, based the 137 feet (41.8 m) twin spire
Spire
A spire is a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building, particularly a church tower. Etymologically, the word is derived from the Old English word spir, meaning a sprout, shoot, or stalk of grass....
s of the church on the south spire of the 13th century French Cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
at Chartres. With no known claim to the contrary, it is assumed that, at the time of its construction, the church's spires were the tallest man-made structure between the Delaware River
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...
and Lancaster
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Lancaster is a city in the south-central part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is the county seat of Lancaster County and one of the older inland cities in the United States, . With a population of 59,322, it ranks eighth in population among Pennsylvania's cities...
.
Fr. Thomas Middleton, an Augustinian historian, states in his 1893 account of the building of the church that Durang designed the building "façade with two towers, each 18 square feet and 63 feet high, surmounted by eight-sided spires.... Durang created a European-like interior, measuring 60 feet in breadth and 143 ½ feet in length, exclusive of the sacristy, [which includes a] prolongation of the sanctuary
Sanctuary
A sanctuary is any place of safety. They may be categorized into human and non-human .- Religious sanctuary :A religious sanctuary can be a sacred place , or a consecrated area of a church or temple around its tabernacle or altar.- Sanctuary as a sacred place :#Sanctuary as a sacred place:#:In...
, terminating in a large deep apsidal
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
choir for the use of the religious.... The interior woodwork is all of oak including the pews and the stalls in the choir for the fraternity. The choir is divided by six clustered columns supporting groin
Groin vault
A groin vault or groined vault is produced by the intersection at right angles of two barrel vaults. The word groin refers to the edge between the intersecting vaults; cf. ribbed vault. Sometimes the arches of groin vaults are pointed instead of round...
ed arches. The side aisles of the nave are divided into six bays, each 15 square feet, also with groined ceiling."
The original church contained seven altar
Altar
An altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices are made for religious purposes. Altars are usually found at shrines, and they can be located in temples, churches and other places of worship...
s: four for the congregation, one in the side chapel of Our Lady of Good Counsel
Our Lady of Good Counsel
Our Lady of Good Counsel is a title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary, after an allegedly miraculous painting now found in the thirteenth century Augustinian church at Genazzano, near Rome, Italy. Measuring 40 by 45 centimeters the image is a fresco executed on a thin layer of porcelain no thicker...
, and the other two in the retro choir. Standing in the center of the sacristy
Sacristy
A sacristy is a room for keeping vestments and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records.The sacristy is usually located inside the church, but in some cases it is an annex or separate building...
, the main altar was made of Italian polished marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
with Indiana stone filigree screen. The altar had two tables and double tabernacles
Church tabernacle
A tabernacle is the fixed, locked box in which, in some Christian churches, the Eucharist is "reserved" . A less obvious container, set into the wall, is called an aumbry....
, one facing the congregation, and the other choir. It was not unusual for two mass
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
es to be said simultaneously. However, as the number of congregants increased, the filigree screen was removed to enable all to see the service.
The church's interior was originally very ornate, in keeping with the taste of the times, including faux marble, gilded
Gilding
The term gilding covers a number of decorative techniques for applying fine gold leaf or powder to solid surfaces such as wood, stone, or metal to give a thin coating of gold. A gilded object is described as "gilt"...
columns and walls, and large oil paint
Oil paint
Oil paint is a type of slow-drying paint that consists of particles of pigment suspended in a drying oil, commonly linseed oil. The viscosity of the paint may be modified by the addition of a solvent such as turpentine or white spirit, and varnish may be added to increase the glossiness of the...
ed murals of "The Assumption of St. Joseph" and "Our Mother of Good Counsel". The seven-sectioned dome
Dome
A dome is a structural element of architecture that resembles the hollow upper half of a sphere. Dome structures made of various materials have a long architectural lineage extending into prehistory....
in the apse contained life-sized paintings in distemper
Distemper (paint)
Distemper is a term with a variety of meanings for paints used in decorating and as a historical medium for painting pictures. The binding element may be some form of glue or oil; these are known in decorating respectively as soft distemper and oil bound distemper.-Soft distemper:Distemper is an...
of St. Thomas of Villanova
Thomas of Villanova
St. Thomas of Villanova, O.S.A. , was a preacher, ascetic, writer andSpanish friar of the Order of Saint Augustine....
, St. Augustine
Augustine of Hippo
Augustine of Hippo , also known as Augustine, St. Augustine, St. Austin, St. Augoustinos, Blessed Augustine, or St. Augustine the Blessed, was Bishop of Hippo Regius . He was a Latin-speaking philosopher and theologian who lived in the Roman Africa Province...
and St. Patrick
Saint Patrick
Saint Patrick was a Romano-Briton and Christian missionary, who is the most generally recognized patron saint of Ireland or the Apostle of Ireland, although Brigid of Kildare and Colmcille are also formally patron saints....
, and oval medallions containing bust
Bust (sculpture)
A bust is a sculpted or cast representation of the upper part of the human figure, depicting a person's head and neck, as well as a variable portion of the chest and shoulders. The piece is normally supported by a plinth. These forms recreate the likeness of an individual...
s of the Four Evangelists
Four Evangelists
In Christian tradition the Four Evangelists are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the authors attributed with the creation of the four Gospel accounts in the New Testament that bear the following titles:*Gospel according to Matthew*Gospel according to Mark...
. Deterioration caused these dome paintings to be replaced in the 1940s.
First Renovation
In preparation for the 1943 centennial of Villanova University, a major renovation of the church was authorized by Augustinian Provincial, Reverend Fr. Sheehan, O.S.A. The décor of the church was changed and simplified, being repainted in tones of ecru and taupeTaupe
Taupe is a dark grayish-brown color. The word "taupe" derives from the Latin name for the European Mole, Talpa europaea.Originally, this referred only to the average color of the French mole, but like the colors pink and lavender, the name expanded to encompass a wide range of varying...
.
In 1965, Vatican II posed a significant challenge to churches such as Villanova, as its cruciform
Cruciform
Cruciform means having the shape of a cross or Christian cross.- Cruciform architectural plan :This is a common description of Christian churches. In Early Christian, Byzantine and other Eastern Orthodox forms of church architecture this is more likely to mean a tetraconch plan, a Greek cross,...
design was not easily modified. Fr. Henry Greenlee, O.S.A. oversaw the first significant modifications due to the new doctrine, as he commissioned the installation of a temporary wooden altar which faced the congregation. Later, a permanent, smaller marble altar was installed on a single tier with the marble altar railings removed.
Second Renovation
While many emergency repairs had been made to the church throughout its existence, none addressed the larger problems of structural reinforcement, electrical updating, climate control, and adequate sound systemSound reinforcement system
A sound reinforcement system is the combination of microphones, signal processors, amplifiers, and loudspeakers that makes live or pre-recorded sounds louder and may also distribute those sounds to a larger or more distant audience...
s. Under the direction of Fr. Anthony Genovese, the parish and University communities commissioned a major renovation in 1992.
Today the church is nearly entirely whitewash
Whitewash
Whitewash, or calcimine, kalsomine, calsomine, or lime paint is a very low-cost type of paint made from slaked lime and chalk . Various other additives are also used...
ed on the interior, and lit by blue stained glass
Stained glass
The term stained glass can refer to coloured glass as a material or to works produced from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant buildings...
windows. Much of the original decoration has been preserved, although moved to different locations in the parish and campus
Campus
A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls and park-like settings...
. The windows enclosing the nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
depict the life of St. Augustine.
Today
The church today is the center of religious life of Villanova University and the parishParish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
of St. Thomas of Villanova. With Rosemont Chapel in nearby , the parish hosts four weekend masses for the parishioners and three Sunday night masses for the students at the University, as well as daily masses at Corr Chapel on the University's campus.
The Sunday night student-oriented masses are strengthened by the participation of Villanova University's Pastoral Musicians. The largest music group on campus, Pastoral Musicians boasts over 60 singers in the SATB
SATB
In music, SATB is an initialism for soprano, alto, tenor, bass, defining the voices required by a chorus or choir to perform a particular musical work...
choir, over 35 instrumentalists, and a bell choir
Handbell
A handbell is a bell designed to be rung by hand. To ring a handbell, a ringer grasps the bell by its slightly flexible handle — traditionally made of leather, but often now made of plastic — and moves the wrist to make the hinged clapper inside the bell strike...
.
The church is also a popular site for student wedding
Wedding
A wedding is the ceremony in which two people are united in marriage or a similar institution. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes...
s, as well as for funeral
Funeral
A funeral is a ceremony for celebrating, sanctifying, or remembering the life of a person who has died. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from interment itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honor...
s for prominent members of the University.
External links
- Territorial map of St. Thomas of Villanova and nearby parishes