Light, making the intangible tangible in sacred spaces : an honors thesis (HONRS 499)

TL;DRAbstract

For centuries humans have been building sacred spaces to worship and practice their particular religion. However different these spaces may be in size, shape, construction, and even the religion they contain they all have one aspect in common, light. The presence of light is one of the oldest ways to express holiness. Any western religion is inseparable from the use of light. Light is what makes the intangible god tangible as light washes a wall, creates a focal point or is a direct analogy for the light of God. The use of light through history in sacred architecture changes as well as its effect on the worshiper. The sacred spaces discussed in this essay, Stonehenge, the Pantheon in Rome, Bath Abbey, Le Corbusier's Notre Dame du Haut Chapel at Ronchamp and Tadao Ando's Church of the Light are only a few but are representative examples. Each example is explored with its use of light and its principles that create a powerful connection between the physical and the spiritual.

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