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Description
Internationally renowned architect I. M. Pei commented that if Marcel Breuer's church for Saint John's Abbey had been built in New York instead of the north woods of Minnesota it would be world famous. Hamilton Smith, Breuer's longtime associate, wrote that the completed church was that rare thing, an architectural design fully realized, and he regarded it as Breuer's finest achievement. The junior member of the twelve-monk planning committee recounts in warm and frequently humorous detail how its members related to the Hungarian-born Bauhaus-trained architect who had no background in church architecture but shared their belief in the enduring quality of simple materials sympathetically used. How the strong architect-client relationship survived the strain of disagreement at a critical moment in completion of the church is the narrative high point in this informal record of four years in which the reader sees a masterpiece of modern church architecture take shape.
Related Content
- Geib, Michael, "Building the Saint John's Abbey Church" (2012). Saint John’s Abbey Publications. Paper 2.
- Lange, David Paul OSB, "Designing a Church for Saint John's in the Mid-20th Century: What the Architect and the Monks Had in Mind" (2013). Benedictine Institute Lectures. Paper 3.
- Roloff, Ronald, Colman J. Barry, Baldwin W. Dworschak, and Marcel Breuer. Abbey and University Church of Saint John the Baptist, 5th ed. Collegeville, MN: 1980.
- Saint John's Abbey, "Saint John's Abbey Church." Saint John's Abbey :: Home.
- Young, Victoria M. Saint John's Abbey Church: Marcel Breuer and the Creation of a Modern Sacred Space. Minneapolis : University of Minnesota Press, 2014. [Book in the CSB/SJU Libraries print collection.]
Publisher
Saint John's University Press
Disciplines
Architecture | Christianity
Recommended Citation
Thimmesh, Hilary, and Marcel Breuer. Marcel Breuer and a Committee of Twelve Plan a Church: A Monastic Memoir. Collegeville, Minn: Saint John's University Press, 2011.
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Since April 18, 2013
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12 - Interior of Saint John’s Abbey Church
View More11 - Stained Glass Window (Detail)
Detail of hexagonal sections in north stained glass window, designed by Brenislaw Bak. Marcel Breuer, architect.
View More10 - Skylights in Saint John’s Abbey Church
Skylights above baptismal font in entryway to Saint John’s Abbey Church. Marcel Breuer, architect.
View More09 - Baptismal Font
Baptismal font in entryway to Saint John’s Abbey Church. Statue of St. John the Baptist by Doris Ceasar. Marcel Breuer, architect.
View More08 - Interior of Saint John’s Abbey Church at Commencement
Interior of Church looking down and north. The Church is the venue for Saint John’s University commencement. Marcel Breuer, architect.
View More07 - Albers Lantern
View of stained glass skylight above the altar in Saint John’s Abbey Church designed by Josef Albers. Marcel Breuer, architect.
View More06 - Interior of Saint John’s Abbey Church
Interior of Church looking south. Choir stalls are on both sides of the Church. Stained glass window above the altar designed by Josef Albers. Marcel Breuer, architect.
View More05 - Crucifix
Crucifix suspended from baldaquin in Saint John’s Abbey Church. Stained glass window above designed by Josef Albers. Marcel Breuer, architect.
View More04 - Stained Glass Window (Detail)
Detail of hexagonal sections in north stained glass window, designed by Brenislaw Bak. Marcel Breuer, architect.
View More01 - Saint John’s Abbey Church at Commencement
Saint John’s University students process into the Abbey Church for commencement, passing under the iconic bell banner. Marcel Breuer, architect.
View More02 - Interior of Saint John’s Abbey Church
Interior of Church looking north. The altar with baldaquin above face the pews and cantilever balcony. The stained glass window was designed by Brenislaw Bak. Marcel Breuer, architect.
View More03 - Albers Lantern
View of stained glass skylight above the altar. Known as the Lantern, it was designed by Josef Albers. Marcel Breuer, architect.
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Abbey Church Images
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