The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1957-08-02
New Churches For Europe:
Structures Rise From
Ruins OF World War LII;
Artistic Junk Purged
BY ERIK KUEHNELT-LEDDIHN

Americans constantly see new churches going up and so do
the Europeans. What are these new churches in Europe like?
In what respect are they different from their American counter.
parts?
First, let me mention the fact that many of Europe's ancient
churches have been destroyed in World War II. If they had ar
tstic value, which means if they were built prior to 1880, they
were. in most cases, very cleverly reconstructed. Not only tour
lists from overseas, but even Europeans are sometimes completely
fooled by the marvellous accuracy with which these churches
have been rebuilt in every detail. In so or 80 years. when most
of the newness will have worn off, it will need the skill of an
expert or the knowledge of an historian to know whether the
church he enters has survived the centuries or has risen from
the ashes.
These reconstructed churches think here, for instance, of
the Cathedral of Frankfurt, the Church of Our Lady, St. Sebaidus.
and St Lawrence in Nuremberg (he latter two Evangelical but
chockful with Catholic medieval arD, are naturally cleaned of
all 10th and early 10th century junk. Such "purges" are also
of their less educated p~arshioners. Yet a church is such a rep
resentative symbol of the Faith that nc, efforts should be spared
to make it really attractive. NonCathoics over here, for artistic
reasons, visit our churches in great numbers. Anything in bad
taste would thus amount to counterpropaganda
Europeans are very sensitive to these values. Seven years ago
/ almost bought a plot to build a house in a Tyrolean village.
Everything looked fine. The Gothic church seemed most attrac-
tive. No sooner had I entered il, however, ! genuflected, asked
Christ to forgive those who made Him stay in such surroundings.
and fled. The interior was totally ruined by 10Th century restora-
tons. The walls were painted blue with golden stars and the
statues as well as the altar were the equivalents OF Barclay Street
at its worst. The church of the village where we finally settled
is a wonderful little Barock gem, renovated in 1s44O. It is a
great aid to prayer and devotion, and / can show 1t proudly to
my nonCatholic visitors.
And what about brand-new churches? There are cities like
Schweinfurth in Germany, where not only the ravages of the
war have been terrible, but where large numbers of Catholics
have immigrated. AS a result five new churches were built. All
over Europe church after church is rising from its foundations.
Ialys land reform, resulting in hundreds of entirely new vii
lagos, necessitated the erection of just as many rural churches.
American tourists in Europe almost never see these ediflces be-
cause, in their vast majority, they rise in the suburbs while the
tourists remain in the center of the cities where the existing
churches normally suffice. What style are they built in? The
answer is as follows:
Older, historic styles are almost never used, because we
Europeans realize that we are living neither in Antiquity, nor
in the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the time. of the Counter
Reformation Raroquel or in the Rocco PERIOD We are radically
different from our ancestors. We don't have their mind, outlook,
and spirit. This is the reason why we cannot be truly creative
in their styles. We have before us the magnificent examples OF
their genius. We cannot match them. In the 18th and early 10th
onpfuru VIC hnJ n Illusion that VIZ could cOmnnfn With them.
Now we know better. Historic styles" are strictly tout"
We are men and women of the mid twentieth century. Our
Church is timeless. She is in this century just as she will be in
the next. The Church is permanently accused of belonging ito
the past" This gives us an added reason for avoiding any visual
impression that we are dated" 1t could be catastrophe if we
were rightly accused of being incapable of producing new styles.
if we would abdicate our great role of leaders in new styles.
We must LEAD, not FOLLOW.
This is why we are building almost exclusively modern
churches, sometimes in a revolutionary style. Compromise So
lutions can be found in villages and in certain landscapes which
limit the choce9 / don't want to insinuate that our modern
churches are always gorgeous, overwhelming, or inspiring. Many
of them are failures. Many are mediocre. Only some are really
good. Yet a new style will never be born over night. And to copy
the past would mean certain failure, ridicule, and contempt.