Wreckovation
Encyclopedia
Wreckovation is a portmanteau term coined by some Catholics to describe the controversial style of renovations which historic Catholic cathedrals, churches, and oratories have undergone since the Second Vatican Council
(Vatican II). Some post Vatican II renovations of older churches are similar in nature to the iconoclastic modifications of churches that took place in Northern Europe during the Reformation
in the 16th Century or the Byzantine Iconoclasm in the 7th Century.
in the 16th Century despite the great diversity of architectural styles over the centuries. Main Altars were often placed against the wall of the apse
to reflect the ad orientem (to the east) posture of the priest
during Mass
. The tabernacle
containing the consecrated Eucharist
, Candlesticks, a Crucifix
, altar linens, and an elaborate set of reredos
all sat atop the High Altar. The Altar and Sanctuary
was intended as a the abode of priests and consecrated ministers, not the laity
. The altar rail or a rood screen
served to distinguish the Nave
(place for the lay worshipper) and the Sanctuary
(place for the priests) as an allusion to the separation seen in the Holy of Holies
of the Temple of Jerusalem. Representative religious artwork in churches was created to encourage devotion to God, Jesus Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Saints as well as an important means of communicating the message of the Gospel
and the traditions of the Church to a largely illiterate populace.
With the proposed changes to the Liturgy
during and after the Second Vatican Council in the mid 1960's, there was a movement to build new churches and renovate old ones in the "spirit of Vatican II". These changes were advocated as a means of bringing the actions of the Mass
closer to the congregation to encourage "full and active participation". There was also a school of thought that a more "sophisticated" "modern" worshiper would not need religious imagery to worship effectively. In fact, some reformists saw statues and representative religious art as distractions from participation in the liturgy.
This movement inspired bishops and priests from all over Western Europe and North America to reorder their churches and Cathedrals according to this new liturgical theory. There was in fact no particular document or dictate issued by the council or the Pope
making architectural changes to Catholic Churches compulsory. A document was written in 1978 called Environment and Art in Catholic Worship. This document was represented as having the force of Church Law but was in fact merely a committee essay of the US Council of Catholic Bishops and was never ratified.
Church renovations started in the late 1960s but gained momentum with the publication of the aforementioned document. Examples of typical changes seen in the renovations include the removal of the high altar
, side altars, altar rails
, religious artwork, statues of the saints, elevated pulpits and non-face to face confessionals. In some cases, the sanctuary was extended into the nave which would reduce available seating for the congregation and modify the original architect's vision for line of sight and symmetry. Seating for the laity was occasionally placed in the apse or old sanctuary to create a "theater in the round" concept. Reredos
and altar screens were removed leaving the sanctuary walls bare which left historic churches without a central focus. Perhaps most controversially, in many renovated churches the tabernacle
was removed from the sanctuary and placed in a less prominent part of the church, such as a side altar or even a separate room.
These changes in church architecture and design have been criticized from an artistic standpoint. Many historic and irreplaceable works of art have been discarded or destroyed during these renovations. The end results of many renovations have also been criticized as unattractive and not an improvement from the pre-concilliar designs.
Opponents of wreckovation also charge that such changes to churches are iconoclastic and result in Catholic churches that look more like theaters, airport terminals, or barns rather than churches. A major concern is that the design of renovated churches downplays the sense of the sacred in favor of focus on the congregation. Critics see this as inconsistent with the traditional Catholic understanding of communal worship. Meanwhile more liberal Catholics have referred to the renovations as necessary steps in order to emphasise the role of the congregation in worship in accord with the wishes of the Second Vatican Council. Conservative Catholics charge that this is a misinterpretation of the documents of Vatican II.
In the United States, a prominent liturgical design consultant as well as Roman Catholic priest Richard S. Vosko
who has presided over a good number of church renovations is generally seen as one of the primary proponents of the emphasis away from the traditional.
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
(Vatican II). Some post Vatican II renovations of older churches are similar in nature to the iconoclastic modifications of churches that took place in Northern Europe during the Reformation
Reformation
- Movements :* Protestant Reformation, an attempt by Martin Luther to reform the Roman Catholic Church that resulted in a schism, and grew into a wider movement...
in the 16th Century or the Byzantine Iconoclasm in the 7th Century.
Background
The essential layout of a Catholic Church building had remained effectively unchanged since the Council of TrentCouncil of Trent
The Council of Trent was the 16th-century Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church. It is considered to be one of the Church's most important councils. It convened in Trent between December 13, 1545, and December 4, 1563 in twenty-five sessions for three periods...
in the 16th Century despite the great diversity of architectural styles over the centuries. Main Altars were often placed against the wall of the apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
to reflect the ad orientem (to the east) posture of the priest
Priest
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...
during Mass
Mass
Mass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...
. The tabernacle
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....
containing the consecrated Eucharist
Eucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
, Candlesticks, a Crucifix
Crucifix
A crucifix is an independent image of Jesus on the cross with a representation of Jesus' body, referred to in English as the corpus , as distinct from a cross with no body....
, altar linens, and an elaborate set of reredos
Reredos
thumb|300px|right|An altar and reredos from [[St. Josaphat's Roman Catholic Church|St. Josaphat Catholic Church]] in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]]. This would be called a [[retable]] in many other languages and countries....
all sat atop the High Altar. The Altar and 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...
was intended as a the abode of priests and consecrated ministers, not the laity
Laity
In religious organizations, the laity comprises all people who are not in the clergy. A person who is a member of a religious order who is not ordained legitimate clergy is considered as a member of the laity, even though they are members of a religious order .In the past in Christian cultures, the...
. The altar rail or a rood screen
Rood screen
The rood screen is a common feature in late medieval church architecture. It is typically an ornate partition between the chancel and nave, of more or less open tracery constructed of wood, stone, or wrought iron...
served to distinguish 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...
(place for the lay worshipper) and 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...
(place for the priests) as an allusion to the separation seen in the Holy of Holies
Holy of Holies
The Holy of Holies is a term in the Hebrew Bible which refers to the inner sanctuary of the Tabernacle and later the Temple in Jerusalem where the Ark of the Covenant was kept during the First Temple, which could be entered only by the High Priest on Yom Kippur...
of the Temple of Jerusalem. Representative religious artwork in churches was created to encourage devotion to God, Jesus Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Saints as well as an important means of communicating the message of the Gospel
Gospel
A gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...
and the traditions of the Church to a largely illiterate populace.
With the proposed changes to the Liturgy
Liturgy
Liturgy is either the customary public worship done by a specific religious group, according to its particular traditions or a more precise term that distinguishes between those religious groups who believe their ritual requires the "people" to do the "work" of responding to the priest, and those...
during and after the Second Vatican Council in the mid 1960's, there was a movement to build new churches and renovate old ones in the "spirit of Vatican II". These changes were advocated as a means of bringing the actions of the Mass
Mass
Mass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...
closer to the congregation to encourage "full and active participation". There was also a school of thought that a more "sophisticated" "modern" worshiper would not need religious imagery to worship effectively. In fact, some reformists saw statues and representative religious art as distractions from participation in the liturgy.
This movement inspired bishops and priests from all over Western Europe and North America to reorder their churches and Cathedrals according to this new liturgical theory. There was in fact no particular document or dictate issued by the council or the Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
making architectural changes to Catholic Churches compulsory. A document was written in 1978 called Environment and Art in Catholic Worship. This document was represented as having the force of Church Law but was in fact merely a committee essay of the US Council of Catholic Bishops and was never ratified.
Church renovations started in the late 1960s but gained momentum with the publication of the aforementioned document. Examples of typical changes seen in the renovations include the removal of the high altar
Altar (Catholicism)
In the liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church, the altar is where the Sacrifice of the Mass is offered. Mass may sometimes be celebrated outside a sacred place, but never without an altar, or at least an altar stone.-Precedent:...
, side altars, altar rails
Altar rails
Altar rails are a set of railings, sometimes ornate and frequently of marble or wood, delimiting the chancel in a church, the part of the sanctuary that contains the altar. A gate at the centre divides the line into two parts. The sanctuary is a figure of heaven, into which entry is not guaranteed...
, religious artwork, statues of the saints, elevated pulpits and non-face to face confessionals. In some cases, the sanctuary was extended into the nave which would reduce available seating for the congregation and modify the original architect's vision for line of sight and symmetry. Seating for the laity was occasionally placed in the apse or old sanctuary to create a "theater in the round" concept. Reredos
Reredos
thumb|300px|right|An altar and reredos from [[St. Josaphat's Roman Catholic Church|St. Josaphat Catholic Church]] in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]]. This would be called a [[retable]] in many other languages and countries....
and altar screens were removed leaving the sanctuary walls bare which left historic churches without a central focus. Perhaps most controversially, in many renovated churches the tabernacle
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....
was removed from the sanctuary and placed in a less prominent part of the church, such as a side altar or even a separate room.
These changes in church architecture and design have been criticized from an artistic standpoint. Many historic and irreplaceable works of art have been discarded or destroyed during these renovations. The end results of many renovations have also been criticized as unattractive and not an improvement from the pre-concilliar designs.
Opponents of wreckovation also charge that such changes to churches are iconoclastic and result in Catholic churches that look more like theaters, airport terminals, or barns rather than churches. A major concern is that the design of renovated churches downplays the sense of the sacred in favor of focus on the congregation. Critics see this as inconsistent with the traditional Catholic understanding of communal worship. Meanwhile more liberal Catholics have referred to the renovations as necessary steps in order to emphasise the role of the congregation in worship in accord with the wishes of the Second Vatican Council. Conservative Catholics charge that this is a misinterpretation of the documents of Vatican II.
In the United States, a prominent liturgical design consultant as well as Roman Catholic priest Richard S. Vosko
Richard S. Vosko
Richard S. Vosko is a liturgical design consultant and priest of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany who has overseen the redesign and renovation of numerous churches and cathedrals around the country. Vosko has worked throughout the U.S. and Canada as a designer and consultant for worship...
who has presided over a good number of church renovations is generally seen as one of the primary proponents of the emphasis away from the traditional.
External links
- Google cache of U.S. Catholics' "Who Moved the Tabernacle?" article
- http://www.nccbuscc.org/liturgy/q&a/environment/environment.shtml US Conference of Catholic Bishops take on Environment and Art in Catholic Worship