Religious Architecture and Sacred Spaces

Some of these presentations can be tailored to fit the history of a particular congregation or denomination. Talks based on local architecture can also be done as bus tours. 

A Church on Every Corner: Sacred Spaces in Northeast Minneapolis

The rich diversity of ethnic groups settling in Northeast Minneapolis created an amazing array of worship spaces in the Nordeast neighborhoods. In this fully illustrated presentation, we will look at the heritage of religious buildings in Nordeast, from the 1840s to the present.

Holy Ground: Historic Cemeteries of the Twin Cities

Whether military, religious, or non-denominational, cemeteries large and small dot the local landscape. Learn about the evolution of cemeteries in and around Minneapolis and St. Paul, from private family plots, through the beautiful Victorian garden cemeteries of the nineteenth century, to contemporary designs and settings.

Sacred Space: Historic Churches of the Twin Cities

In this virtual tour of landmark churches in Minneapolis and St. Paul, we will consider the worship spaces of various denominations, meet some important church architects, and see a variety of different styles of building over the past 150 years.

God’s House: A History of Church Architecture

A chronological overview of churches used throughout Christian history, this presentation begins with the earliest type of worship space, the house church, and then surveys other sacred places from the Early Christian era to the present.

Scandinavian-American Churches in the Twin Cities

Hundreds of thousands of Scandinavian immigrants flooded into Minneapolis and St. Paul in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. As they put down roots, they established scores of congregations and other religious institutions for worship, service, and fellowship. Many of these places have vanished, but a number of the “descendants” survive, even as their Scandinavian origins are now obscured or hidden. In this slide presentation, we’ll look at some of the earliest congregations through the heyday of the late 1800s-early 1900s and at current buildings and places related to the Scandinavian immigrant traditions.

I can adapt this presentation to emphasize a specific Scandinavian group or to focus on either Minneapolis or St. Paul; I can also tell the story of a particular Scandinavian congregation’s locations and buildings.

The Stave Churches of Norway

IN FOCUS: THE SISTINE CHAPEL

One of the best-known spaces in the Christian tradition, the Sistine Chapel is recognized for the famous paintings done by Michelangelo. Yet the ceiling and the Last Judgment projects were only two parts of a more complex design, done by multiple artists over a few generations. This presentation looks at the entire plan for the Sistine Chapel’s floor-to-ceiling decoration.

IN FOCUS: CATHEDRAL OF NOTRE-DAME IN PARIS

The cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris has been famous throughout the centuries as a religious center, a masterpiece of Gothic architecture, a place of coronations, and as a tourist attraction, among other things. Sadly, it was heavily damaged in a devastating fire in 2019. This presentation will focus on the building’s site, its importance as an example of the French Gothic style, the restoration plans of the 19th century, and current efforts to bring the building back to life after the 2019 fire.

IN FOCUS: ST. PETER’S IN ROME

The famous basilica of St. Peter contains design elements by some of the greatest Italian architects of the Renaissance and the Baroque, including Michelangelo and Bernini, but the site’s history goes back a thousand years before they worked on the current church. In fact, the building we see today replaced “Old St. Peter’s,” an Early Christian basilica from the fourth century. This presentation will focus on both buildings as well as some of the famous art inside the present-day basilica of St. Peter.

IN FOCUS: HAGIA SOPHIA IN ISTANBUL

For over a thousand years, this amazing building has been at the intersection of politics, religion, and culture. Known for its remarkable engineering, it has been widely influential in both the Christian and Islamic traditions. This presentation looks closely at Hagia Sophia’s design, construction, materials, decoration, and acoustics—and especially at its changing use over time.