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BEAUTIFUL traditional Catholic Church
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Anonymous
| I want to join a BEAUTIFUL traditional (not 70s ugly architecture) Catholic church near fairfax/annandale. Is there a nice one in Fairfax City? |
Anonymous
| St. James in Falls Church is pretty and very traditional looking. |
Anonymous
| So the aesthetics of the building matters more than the service and the congregation? Hmm.... |
Anonymous
The OP never said that. |
Anonymous
|
The OP said traditional, so to me that referred to the tenor of the church, not its appearance. I got married in an ugly church, but attend a beautiful sunny church in Arlington (St. Ann's).
A fit with the general church is important, but other elements can also be important in your in-church spiritual experience. I love folk Masses whereas DH prefers the more formal somber choir. Don't know Ffx well enough, OP. I was going to suggest St. James based on appearance, though. We attended Christmas Mass there a few years ago since scheduling worked better than our own parish. Lovely. |
Anonymous
|
I'm with the OP. I bemoan the fact that so many churches around here were built in the 60s and 70s. Not a great period for Catholic church architecture. Even compare the National Cathedral with the Basilica. I'll take the Nat'l Cathedral any day.
St. James in Falls Church City is a beautiful church but you have to live within boundaries to be registered parishioners. Great community as well. |
Anonymous
The National Cathedral is not Catholic. It's Episcopalian |
Anonymous
| PP here. I know the Nat'l Cathedral is not Catholic- I used it as a comparison between beautiful non-Catholic church and not so beautiful Catholic church. The Episcopalians, Methodists, etc., definitely got the better deal on architecture. |
Anonymous
| St. Mary's in Old Town is very traditional, in terms of mass and architecture, and very beautiful. |
Anonymous
| Holy Trinity in Bristow and St. Teresa's in Ashburn...but those are not in your preferred area, I'm afraid. |
Anonymous
If you are Catholic, you have a lot of options on where to go to mass, so you can probably find a church that is beautiful and have a parish that you like. I do not go to a church like that, but I do understand that some people find traditional, older churches to be contemplative and inspiring. I used to pray the rosary at a beautiful carmelite monastery, and there was something special about that. Architecture has a definite influence on culture, whether it is how we build homes, offices, or churches. Some of my favorite churches are the 70's style with pews arranged in a semicircle or full circle around the altar, because it fosters more participation from the parishoners. |
Anonymous
|
St. Mary of Sorrows in Farifax Station. Newer Church not sure how pretty that one is, but the do still have the historic original church. Not sure how often the historic church is in use.
http://www.stmaryofsorrows.org/ |
Anonymous
| OP, it is what you are used to. Many of the churches around here have that contemporary look that is not that appealing to those who were raised in older churches with asthetic and architectural character. Remember where you are. Wish I had a suggestion for you. GL. |
Anonymous
|
St. Mary's allows parishioners to use the historic church. I have been to several weddings there. I don't think it is beautiful at all -- more tired and old than anything else -- and it smells and it wasn't air conditioned last time I went to a wedding there. Fun in July. The parish in Fairfax city is St. Leo the Great which was renovated in 2002/3. It is beautiful inside. Beautiful. On the outside it is more modern looking than I think you are looking for, but it is a lovely parish both church and parishioners. Holy Spirit is in Annandale and that also has a more modern finish than i think you want. However, the interior of the church, while darker than light filled St. Leo the Great, also is very beautiful in its somberness and unusual features. St. Veronica in Chantilly I think is just big and Spanish styled and new. Not a fan of the architecture. St. Timothy is 1977 to the core. Nativity in Burke, last time I was there, looked like the Real Housewives of NJ threw up in it. But it has been a long time since I have been there, they may have toned down a bit.
In terms of a parish in the suburbs that looks like St. Patricks or Notre Dame or the Shrine, you aren't going to find it here. These churches were all built as these suburbs developed in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. |