separation between church and --- wait...

it's not quite what I thought.  

               I remember the first few weeks on this program; the newness of everything, my awe at all the sights and sounds, the history rising from the ground in the form of buildings and statues and art. On one of our very first walks, we were bombarded with everything London. There were shops and train stations and buildings of every kind. People were rushing by on their way to work, or to school, or just to catch the next bus. However, even amid all this bustle, one thing stood out to me- Christ Church standing solitary among the crowd.

                Consecrated in 1729, Christ Church Spitalfields was one of the “Commissioner’s Churches”; in 1711, Parliament commissioned the building for 50 new churches, and this was one of the first and finest of all 12 which ended up being completed. The architecture for this church is a great example of both Hawksmoor’s and Wren’s architectural styles, some of the architects who were tasked with the commission. Clearly, they did a fantastic job, and it is a well-loved building.

                When I first came to London, I was surprised by how many churches I saw seemingly everywhere; additionally, the lack of separation between church and state baffled me. Yet when we visited Christ Church, I instantly noticed the locals taking their lunch on the steps, people finding peace inside the chapel, or those who were just relaxing and taking in the area. There seemed to be so much familiarity and comfort between them and the centuries-old church, and that’s something that I’ve noticed throughout London and England as a whole.

                In England, the idea of religion and church worship is definitely different than what I grew up with and what it is in the states. Seeing Christ Church on this London walk wasn’t the first time I was really introduced to this idea, but it was one of the first times that I began to understand that although it is different, it speaks individually to each person and that’s how the Londoners like it. To me, Christ Church seems to have become more of a landmark building and piece of architecture rather than an actual place of individual, holy worship, and that’s okay. Throughout this study abroad I have learned that everybody appreciates art differently, and this is just another example of that; not everybody appreciates Christ Church as a place of religious worship, but others can appreciate it as a place of peace or a nice spot to have a lunch break. And, either way, I think that’s what beautiful architecture really should be about.

                I remember initially being surprised, almost taken aback, by this beautiful church in the middle of the city and all the people around it who didn’t seem to be worshipping or being religious. Now, months later, I have come to realize more about what art and architecture really mean, and how important it is to London and the people who live here.