Our next consideration in our ever popular 'before and after' series looks at the parish church of St. Mary of the Assumption in Taylor, Texas. this particular project, undertaken by Studio io and Canning Liturgical Arts,.
From the website of Studio io:This full interior renovation / beautification of a simple 1950s country gothic church in rapidly growing Taylor, TX included restoration of turn-of-the-century stained glass and ornate marble furnishings from the previous historic church (designed by famed architect Nicholas Clayton), terrazzo flooring, wood pews, and confessionals. Original marble and brass altar rail elements were rebuilt as votive kneelers at Marian and Josephine shrines. New interior gothic pendant light was added, and the entire scheme was unified and transformed with decorative paint by John Canning Liturgical Arts. An original tracker pipe organ from the previous church was moved up to the choir loft, which was also fully reconfigured.
Unlike our other before and after examples, in this particular instance we are not dealing with a case of a significant architectural re-arrangement, rather what are dealing with is decorative augmentation. Namely, the addition of decorative elements that have a profound impact on the liturgical architecture. Of particular note is the decorative, blue painting and stencilling that has been added around the altarpieces and rose window, as well as the altar rails that have been added before the side altars. Let's take a look.
BEFORE
AFTER
Not to be missed in the project is the fact that the central tabernacle has been restored to the historic high altar and a proper altar cross placed above. Further, the ambo has been placed in closer relation to the altar itself.
The decorative scheme found around the high altar extends to the historical side altars of Our Lady and St. Joseph -- thus not only accentuating these beautiful altarpieces in their own right, but also tying them into and creating a harmony and unity of the whole.
What this project emphasizes is the impact that decorative schemes and colour can have in a liturgical setting.
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