In places like Romania, despite massive post-communist building activity, the current practice of Orthodox Church architecture does not match the quality of its predecessors. This paper locates the source of these difficulties within the intricate historical legacy of the interaction between its Byzantine origins and its modern interpretations. As part of the liturgical arts of the Orthodox Church, the understanding of Orthodox Church architecture is linked with that of the icon, central to Orthodoxy. This study will not only offer an insight into the importance of iconic language but will attempt to reveal the particular nature of language as implied in the Orthodox Church tradition. The array of present interpretations of the icon and of the Orthodox Church architecture is dependent to a large extent on a modern, instrumental understanding of language, basic to western metaphysics, and prevalent in the education system at all levels. Conceived of in an instrumental way, as a mere tool, the icon loses its original meaning and makes the understanding and practice of all liturgical arts of lesser value. In order to address this challenging situation we need to part from any modern interpretation of this building tradition and to focus instead on the nature of interpretation and above all on language itself. We can gain a better understanding of the iconic language of the Orthodox Church by drawing on the hermeneutics of Hans Georg Gadamer. Hermeneutics questions the philosophy of language, the nature of historical understanding and the roots of interpretation. Hermeneutics provides the opportunity to grasp the icon on its own terms, while using a method true to its nature, bypassing the instrumental framework of western metaphysics, and restoring the basis on which liturgical arts can attain their full potential once again. A hermeneutical insight into the iconic language of the Orthodox Church will enrich our horizon of Orthodox liturgical arts, serving those who want to research, critique, restore, maintain, design, and build this type of architecture.

This book brings into conversation Western and Orthodox hermeneutical schools: one represented by Hans-Georg Gadamer and his followers, while the other school is less focused around one person and yet displays common distinct features. The main question of the book is how we can mediate not only the content of understanding of who we are in relation to each other, to the world in which we live, and to God, but also comprehend the process of understanding across various historical periods. The strengths and weaknesses of both positions are presented, and it is shown how these two hermeneutical approaches can enrich each other. The book argues that preserving both positions, and indicating how they complement each other, helps show the limits of encountering the transcendent reality that can be testified to by human language without being reduced to it as such.

The first comprehensive introduction to the Orthodox Church in the United States from 1794 to the present, this text offers a succinct overview of the Church's distinctive history and its particular perspectives on the Christian faith. FitzGerald examines the relationship between the Orthodox Church and other Christian churches in the U.S., as well as the contributions the Orthodox Church has made to the ecumenical movement. This student edition, ideal for classes in American Religion, Denominational History, and American social and cultural history, includes a bibliographic essay intended as a guide for further investigation into aspects of Orthodox Christianity.

This volume addresses questions regarding contemporary interpretation of the language of sacred and religious buildings. While inspired by Heidegger's hermeneutic approach as well as by Chomsky's view on language and Eliade's archetypes and symbols, its interpretive hypothesis appropriates the Orthodox Christian perspective on church architecture. The second half of the book is a close reading of the Bible pertaining to questions on architecture, and is presented both historically and symbolically. The purpose of the interpretation is to trace back the possible grounds for a 'primitive hut' of the sacred space, the never-existing 'first Christian church'. In an environment striving for a renewed ecumenical unity, such a hermeneutical approach on sensitive issues such as sacred, religious architecture, pursued by two architectural scholars from Eastern Europe's Romania, is meant to propose a fresh overview of a timeless question.

Mid-20th century sacred architecture in America sought to bridge modernism with religion by abstracting cultural and faith traditions and pushing the envelope in the design of houses of worship. Modern architects embraced the challenges of creating sacred spaces that incorporated liturgical changes, evolving congregations, modern architecture, and innovations in building technology. The book describes the unique context and design aspects of the departure from historicism, and the renewal of heritage and traditions with ground-breaking structural features, deliberate optical effects and modern aesthetics. The contributions, from a pre-eminent group of scholars and practitioners from the US, Australia, and Europe are based on original archival research, historical documents, and field visits to the buildings discussed. Investigating how the authority of the divine was communicated through new forms of architectural design, these examinations map the materiality of liturgical change and communal worship during the mid-20th century.

Now in its fifth edition, Analysing Architecture has become internationally established as the best introduction to architecture. Aimed primarily at those studying architecture, it offers a clear and accessible insight into the workings of this rich and fascinating subject. With copious illustrations from his own notebooks, the author dissects examples from around the world and all periods of history to explain the underlying strategies in architectural design and show how drawing may be used as a medium for analysis. In this new edition Analysing Architecture has been revised and expanded. Notably, the chapter on ‘How Analysis Can Help Design’ has been redeveloped to clearly explain this crucially important aspect of study to a beginner readership. Four new chapters have been added to the section dealing with Themes in Spatial Organisation, on ‘Axis’, ‘Grid’, ‘Datum Place’ and ‘Hidden’. Material from the 'Case Studies' in previous editions has been redistributed amongst earlier chapters. The ‘Introduction' has been completely rewritten; and the format of the whole book has been adjusted to allow for the inclusion of more and better illustrative examples. Works of architecture are instruments for managing, orchestrating, modifying our relationship with the world around us. They frame just about everything we do. Architecture is complex, subtle, frustrating... but ultimately extremely rewarding. It can be a difficult discipline to get to grips with; nothing in school quite prepares anyone for the particular demands of an architecture course. But this book will help.