A church shaped like a fish.
While I was waiting for my wife who was having foot surgery in Oakland CA, I saw this interesting all glass building a block away. There was no sign on the building so I walked over to it and walked in. Turned out to be Christ the Light cathedral. Unlike most cathedrals that are laid out in the shape of a cross, this church is laid out in the shape of a fish. Very cool. Very serene. Here's a few of the pictures I took.
There is also a famous "Fish Church" in Stamford CT. My office was directly across the street and I visited it often - a truly remarkable building inside and out. Google it - quite impressive
EDIT - I should have mentioned that I did not take the photo I attached. It came from a webpage, on Trip Advisor I think.
An interesting spatial and spiritual experiment.
Thank you for sharing!
Do you know who designed it? How does it feel inside - with so much of surface covered with wood louvers to control the light and probably also the heat?
I can't see anything resembling a fish or any other in water living creature, though?
The realistic, huge image of a prophet - Christ is ovewhelming. In time, it woud be interesting to see, whether it will stay there or be replaced?
Nice architecture photos.
The feeling evoked when inside the church is one of serenity and peace. All the curved surfaces seem to embrace you no matter where you are in the church. When you walk around it's hard to resist touching the curved surfaces as you walk by. From the darkened concrete walls waist high it seems many feel the same.
It seems to me that many cathedrals are designed to make you feel small relative to God. While this church is large you don't get that feeling. I was quite taken with ability of the architects to convey a sense of intimacy with such a large space. As I recall, the architects (Hartman and Milholand) purposefully set out to make this church approachable. I tried to capture that feeling of intimacy with the photos I took.
An interesting aside is that the Christ figure over the altar is actually digital photograph of a relief in France that has been photo shopped to restore damaged parts. The pixels are actually holes drilled in aluminum that lets the light shine through.
The wood louvers keep the heat out and I'm sure the concrete walls are a giant heat sink moderating the temperature inside the church.
The shape of the fish is obvious when you look up. The body of the fish is directly overhead, the tail is over the entrance.
Nice shots! #2 is a real standout for me.
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