tour onward

from the center of the room
one can look up and outward
and learn that one is in a huge
tent
marcel breuer utilized the working motif
of the tent of meeting
described in the book of exodus
the elements stored in that tent
are evident
in the stations of ritual worship
presented within the area known
to all christians as
the sanctuary
and it is the custom of monks
and the rest of the faithful to bow
or genuflect in the direction of the central
table regarding christ already present

the abbots throne sits above the sanctuary
it is set off by a goldleaf backing
and is appointed with sideseats
for the acolytes and other servants
of the divine liturgy
it is the receded character of this throne which makes it
a logical and all important connection with the reality behind the throne
the monastic house and all that is represented there
it is a place of prominence but it would be a blindness
were one to ignore the primarily humble orientation
of the station itself
held together as a piece unto itself
with granite concrete and wood
a fine woven rug often lies before the throne itself
monks pass by on each side
entering and departing
their habits rubbing against the heavy granite slabs
sometimes their fingers gliding along the texture
of the stone
during the week and most of the year
the celebrant reserves a post
at the foot of the throne
or to the side of the altar
near the organ consul
(someone spoke inthe monastic coffee room
rather galantly of a performance of the complete
works for organ by franz liszt
this will be almost impossible to listen to
on the holtkamp organ
so i advise everyone to avoid that
recital if at all possible)

the whole of the sanctuary at the south third
of the building
is elevated by 4 steps
above the nave proper
all layed out in vertical horizontal
and diagonal patterns of red minnesota brick

light comes into the tent from below
at a human level we look out large side windows
that fill the space with the natural world and
the welltended gardens between long cloisterwalks
and the sides of the tent
one also observes the gridpattern established by
stacking sewer tiles on the garden side
to create a wall
a useful demarcation
perhaps one day this wall will become
the final settling place for urns of ashes
where monks are faint recalled
this sewertile grillwork happens to be
a pattern that repeats itself on the library
and the science building
serving as a fence between the windows
and the world

the rest of the required light for worship
shines down from fixtures set into the
long re-enforced ceiling spans
appearing like natural folds in the ceiling of a tent
held fast in formed concrete casts of
relatively lighweight concrete joists
offering strength and spaciousness

the overall aesthetic perhaps summed up in those two terms

more anon