Historic Churches Research Articles

Znaczenie katalogu mikrofilmów kościelnych archiwaliów oraz zbiorów liturgicznych i bibliotecznych. Recenzja opracowania Katalog mikrofilmów Ośrodka Archiwów, Bibliotek i Muzeów Kościelnych Katolickiego Uniwersytetu Lubelskiego Jana Pawła II, oprac. M. Dębowska, Kraków 2017, Wydawnictwo Instytutu Teologicznego Księży Misjonarzy w Krakowie, Kraków 2017, ss. 677

The significance of an archive ecclesiastical microfilm catalogue and of liturgy and library collections. Review of the publication Microfilm Catalogue in Possession of the Ecclesiastical Archives, Library and Museum Centre of the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, compiled by Maria Dębowska, Publishing House of Instytut Teologiczny Księży Misjonarzy in Cracow, Cracow 2017, p. 677. Ever since 1960, the Ecclesiastical Archives, Library and Museum Centre of the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin has been microfilming primarily ecclesiastical archive materials and partially also the historical collections of church libraries. The descriptions of the resulting microfilms were published over the years in the journal Archiwa, Biblioteki i Muzea Kościelne. Subsequent groups of microfilms were assigned consecutive publication numbers and were referred to as microfilm catalogues. The current status of the work is presented in a printed catalogue by Maria Dębowska, PhD. The catalogue brings together descriptions of 5,593 microfilms. Created in the Ecclesiastical Archives, Library and Museum Centre, the microfilm collection is a unique resource for studies on the history of the Church in Poland. Słowa kluczowe: archiwistyka, Ośrodek Archiwów, Bibliotek i Muzeów Kościelnych Katolickiego Uniwersytetu Lubelskiego, Dębowska Maria, Kumor Bolesław, zasób polskich archiwów kościelnych, zbiory historyczne bibliotek kościelnych, kościelne dobra kultury / archival science, Ecclesiastical Archives, Library and Museum Centre of the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Maria Dębowska, Bolesław Kumor, Polish ecclesiastical archival fonds, collections of historical church libraries, church cultural values.

Integrated Seismic Vulnerability Assessment of Historical Masonry Churches Including Architectural and Artistic Assets Based on Macro-element Approach

ABSTRACT Masonry churches represent a significant construction typology at risk from earthquakes, as clearly shown by recent seismic events. For a quick assessment of the vulnerability of historical churches, a very effective method is the well-known form for the evaluation of damage and vulnerability based the macro-element approach. Anyway, in the calculation of the vulnerability index of the method intangible aspects related to architectural, historical and artistic value are not included. This paper proposes a procedure that combines the above-mentioned vulnerability analysis with the evaluation of architectural and artistic assets such as frescoes, statues and paintings, by applying the Analytic Hierarchy Process. A site test, involving eight churches in Valencia (Spain) and Tuscany (Italy) regions, shows how important it is to provide a complete overview of a church’s structural condition that includes its artworks in order to create a priority scale for the assessment, retrofitting and protection of existing masonry churches.

Napięcie między subiektywnym a obiektywnym. Rozpoznanie działania Ducha Świętego w tradycji zachodniej i wschodniej

Tension between personal experience and community discernment, a prophesy and Church’s teaching, judgement of conscience and trueness of moral doctrine is still alive. Ultimately, it is all about what in the Church is subjective and what is objective. This reconciled opposition is inscribed in the identity of Christianity. Evangelical testimony of disciples going to Jerusalem after encountering Jesus in Emmaus and theirs confrontation with Peter’s experience demonstrates a model of appropriate route: subjective does not transgress objective, personal it is in tone with ecclesiastical. Despite an agreement among Christians in terms of general direction, a diff erence at level of details between particular traditions is noticed. Without depreciating individual and discerned, Catholic Church invariably supports the necessity to acknowledge The Teaching Office of the Church and the power of bishops within diocese. Of course all faithful take part in carrying and development of the legacy, especially through testimony and creative dialogue. Synods, councils and other bodies serve an example. However they do not cover doctrinal and disciplinary issues. Formation, obedience and spiritual guidance are important at personal level. Recognition of bishop’s authority, adherence to the Tradition and cannons and obedience to spiritual guide (the elder) are key elements of Orthodox tradition. Special attention is given to conciliarity (synodality) on various levels of Church. On the other side, for the post-reformation communities the fundamental and practically the only rule is Sola Scriptura. Bible does not give answer to each particular question and does not describe every form of Holy Spirit’s action therefore different conclusions and options arise in various denominations. Undertaking the process of discernment itself, historical Churches follow more codified path of Church’s discernment such as synods, councils, conferences while evangelical communities accept even more individual approach, recommending of course pastoral prudence and consultations with pastor or elders of the congregation. It is especially necessary among Pentecostal Christians accepting the presence of charismatic gifts, to include prophecy.

The new foundation system of the Basilica di Collemaggio's transept

In the seismic retrofitting of historical churches, the realisation of new foundations of collapsed elements represents an important aspect for the interaction with both the underground pre-existing structures and the new structural elements to be rebuilt. For the specific case study of the Basilica di Collemaggio, after an accurate geometrical survey and onsite geotechnical tests, a specific mixed structure foundation system is proposed in order to fulfil the seismicsafety requirements and the Cultural Heritage Office's conservation prescriptions. Nonlinear analyses are performed considering the interaction between the soil and the foundation system, together with the new couple of main pillars and the triumphal arch. The analyses are aimed to verify the capabilities of the new foundation system to bear the transversal seismic actions. The analyses are also completed by some experimental tests on micropiles, which represent the main underground-to-elevation connection elements.

The new foundation system of the Basilica di Collemaggio's transept

In the seismic retrofitting of historical churches, the realisation of new foundations of collapsed elements represents an important aspect for the interaction with both the underground pre-existing structures and the new structural elements to be rebuilt. For the specific case study of the Basilica di Collemaggio, after an accurate geometrical survey and onsite geotechnical tests, a specific mixed structure foundation system is proposed in order to fulfil the seismicsafety requirements and the Cultural Heritage Office's conservation prescriptions. Nonlinear analyses are performed considering the interaction between the soil and the foundation system, together with the new couple of main pillars and the triumphal arch. The analyses are aimed to verify the capabilities of the new foundation system to bear the transversal seismic actions. The analyses are also completed by some experimental tests on micropiles, which represent the main underground-to-elevation connection elements.

Site Investigation of Alauqaiser Historic Church Using Photogrammetric Reconstruction

Alauqaiser Church is one of the Christian heritage sites that are mentioned extensively in historical literature. The site is described to be in the desert to the south west f Karbala, Iraq. The site was excavated by the Iraqi government to reveal most of the church building which was covered by soil for long time. However, it is believed that there could a human settlement around the church which is not investigated or determined physically on the ground. This paper aims to investigate the possibility of the existence of any settlement or development around the site and stimulate further research about this important fact. Photogrammetric reconstruction was used to prepare engineering drawings and digital three-dimensional models of the site. Pictures were captured using off-the-shelf small drone which successfully provided enough level of details to prepare precise orthophoto and digital elevation model of the site.Results of the site’s orthophoto and digital elevation model showed that there are clear footprints of physical development around the church.

Nauczanie misjologii w świecie chrześcijańskim i dla niego. Treść i metoda

The article begins with a brief defi nition of „World Christianity” and elaborates three theses for conceiving the relationship between missiology and theology, the understanding and practice of Christian missions, and the teaching of missiology. I argue that outside missiology there is no theology. I also reject the separation between church history and missiology, the division between the historic churches of the West and the „mission lands” of the rest, and a narrow focus of the goal of Christian missions on conversion and church-planting. Finally, I recommend a shift from „church history” to „history of Christianity.”

Linear discontinuous deformations created on the surface as an effect of underground mining and local geological conditions-case study

Underground mining negatively impacts the rock mass and land surface, as well as the objects located on it. One of the forms of such impact are linear discontinuous deformations, which presently in Polish Upper Silesian Basin conditions are more and more often accompanied by underground mining. Discontinuous deformations of mining origin not always arise on the surface, resulting from the occurrence of unfavorable geological and mining factors, and create different forms, mainly ground steps, cracks, and fissures. Presented in this article results of the research concern the problem of the occurrence of linear discontinuous deformations in the area of the greatest Polish hard coal deposit, Upper Silesian Basin, where several unfavorable factors triggered the system of linear discontinuous deformations in the shape of ground steps. Ground steps caused several damages to building objects, small architecture elements, and roads in surrounding area. One of the most important objects exposed to damage threat here is an old historic church. Ground steps occurred as a joined effect of underground mining influences together with impact of fault zones located close to the church and probably activated by mining works. In the paper, mining and geological conditions have been discussed, that led to arising of discontinuous deformations on the surface. Apart from description of mentioned factors, detailed calculations were carried out aimed at recognition of probable distribution on the surface of subsidence, horizontal displacement, and horizontal strain around the church. Their contribution to ground steps creation process has been discussed as well.

3DGPR for the Non-Destructive Monitoring of Subsurface Weathering of Sandstone Masonry

Remote sensing techniques, such as LiDAR and photogrammetry, are used by researchers exploring the spatial distribution of weathering features in historic masonry. These well-established tools provide users with a perspective of the processes affecting the surface of masonry blocks; however, they cannot provide information on the alteration occurring subsurface. Geophysical tools are being explored as a potential approach to observe the variation in material properties beneath masonry block surfaces and to examine the patterns of deterioration across wall sections. Applying such techniques inform the development of conceptual models of weathering at the block to building wall scale. In this study, ground-penetrating radar (GPR) was selected to inspect the subsurface condition of the wall section of an historic church wall, where areas of granular disintegration and flaking can be observed. 3DGPR was selected for this task, as its use of regular grids during data collection make it better suited for detecting features within an area. Three high-frequency antennas, 1.2 Ghz, 1.6 Ghz and 2.3 Ghz, were run across the study area in a series of 80 cm by 80 cm grids. The data were collated within GIS, where observed features were annotated onto a schematic of the wall surface. The 3DGPR outputs identified anomalies within this structure that could not have been as easily interpreted using a 2DGPR transect. However, as 3DGPR relies upon interpolative techniques to estimate the returns between observation transects, the validity of features detected in these locations need to be tested. The results of this application of 3DGPR identified variable weathering response across the wall section, relative to elevation. These observations were used to develop a conceptual model linking these findings to seasonal variation in the capillary rise of groundwater, upward from the base of the church wall. Through these findings it is possible to see how GPR can assist in developing our understanding of the processes threatening heritage buildings.

Религиозные учения Л. Толстого и Вл. Соловьева и проблема единства русской религиозной философии

В статье рассматривается история творческих отношений Л.Н. Толстого и В.С. Соловьева и доказывается, что религиозные учения мыслителей близки в своих главных принципах. В работах 1890-х гг. Соловьев, как и Толстой, резко критикует историческую церковь за то, что она исказила первоначальное, истинное христианство, главный смысл которого он видит в соединении человечества с Богом и в построении Царства Божьего на земле силами человечества. Точно такое же понимание христианства как пути к совершенной жизни на земле составляет основу религиозного учения Толстого. Показано, что два важнейших мотива учения Толстого: отрицание телесного воскресения человеческих личностей и принцип непротивления злу насилием, вполне логично вытекают из этого учения. Точка зрения Соловьева в этих вопросах, наоборот, свидетельствует о его непоследовательности в развитии принципов истинного христианства. Сделан вывод о том, что Толстой, вопреки распространенному мнению, не является маргинальной фигурой в русской религиозной философии, напротив, он наиболее полно выражает ее главную тенденцию критики церковной религии и поисков истинного христианства, объединяющую подавляющее большинство известных мыслителей. The article deals with the history of the creative relationship of L.N. Tolstoy and V.S. Solovyov and it is proved that religious teachings of thinkers are close to one another in their main principles. In the works of the 1890s Solovev, like Tolstoy, sharply criticizes the historical church for the fact that it distorted original, true Christianity, the main meaning of which he sees in the union of humanity with God and in building the Kingdom of God on earth by the forces of humanity. Exactly the same understanding of Christianity as the path to a perfect life on earth is the basis of Tolstoys religious teaching. It is shown that the two most important motives of Tolstoys teaching: the denial of the bodily resurrection of human personalities and the principle of non-resistance to evil by violence flow quite logically from this teaching. The point of view of Solovev in these questions, on the contrary, testifies to his inconsistency in the development of the principles of true Christianity. It is concluded that Tolstoy, contrary to popular belief, is not a marginal figure in Russian religious philosophy, on the contrary, he most fully expresses its main trend of criticism of church religion and the search for true Christianity, which unites the overwhelming majority of famous thinkers.

Materiality and Immateriality of neglected historical churches: preservation and adaptive reuse

One of the more controversial topics about the preservation of disused historic buildings regards how to ensure them a sustainable future. This question is especially problematic respecting the increasing stock of worship places, like churches, fallen into disuse, closed or abandoned. The recognition and the safeguard of tangible and intangible values associated with them raise many debates on how these buildings should be protected and handed down to the future, complying with the community’s current needs concurrently. Should there be limits on reusing former worship places? Given the changing meaning of sacredness over time, how should ‘sacred values’ of disused church buildings be recognized and maintained? Can they be preserved adapting churches for new purposes? What about the building’s atmosphere? Should it be retained? Should it be adapted to the building’s new use?These and other questions, even involving the socioeconomic sphere, notably mark the field, given that the number of disused historic and modern Christian church buildings is still increasing throughout the West. Gathering different orientations and practices ranging from the historic preservation up to the building refurbishment, the so-called ‘adaptive reuse’ of buildings has been becoming more and more often habitual within Western countries even for disused worship places. Conversions of former churches according to this trend are differently valuable from a preserving perspective, since they have often implied remarkable changes to the building’s identity and integrity, even compromising the recognition and the safeguard of intangible values associated with. How should new uses be chosen, so that they do not endanger tangible and immaterial attributes of church buildings? Is the adaptive reuse the most suitable strategy in order to approach all the cited issues?Providing a brief overview on what the adaptive reuse of Christian church buildings fallen into disuse methodologically consists of, the study aims to suggest some answers to the mentioned questions, resorting to last specific international recommendations and guidelines. The prime limits and implications of the adaptive reuse of these buildings have been thus profiled regarding the preservation of tangible and intangible values they involve, concluding that only values centered preserving approach can provide a valid framework to face the challenge of the increasing redundancy of worship places.

Continuous monitoring of the Milan Cathedral: dynamic characteristics and vibration-based SHM

The traditional collaboration between Politecnico di Milano and Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo di Milano—the historic institution established by Gian Galeazzo Visconti in 1387 and having in charge all operational aspects related to the Milan Cathedral since more than 600 years—recently focused on the design and installation of a structural monitoring system, with the objective of assisting the condition-based structural maintenance of the historic church through the continuous interrogation of sensors installed in the structure and the extraction from measured data of features which are representative of the current state of structural health. The new monitoring system of the Milan Cathedral includes different types of measurements and sensors: quasi-static acquisition of strain in selected tie-rods and biaxial tilt of selected piers and the main spire, monitoring of inner and outer environmental parameters and dynamic measurement of the velocity response at the top of 14 piers and at 3 levels of the main spire. After a concise description of the historic church and of the monitoring system, the paper focuses on the dynamic characteristics of the Milan Cathedral, their evolution during the first months of monitoring (since October 16th, 2018) and the lessons learned in view of the structural health monitoring of the monument. The presented results from the vibration monitoring highlight that: (a) 8 global modes of vibration are automatically detected in the frequency range 1.0–5.0 Hz; (b) the resonant frequencies exhibit a distinctive trend of variation, which is mainly driven by temperature; (c) the mode shapes of the cathedral do not show appreciable fluctuations associated with the environmental effects.

Finite element modelling of a historic church structure in the context of a masonry damage analysis

The paper includes a case study of modelling a real historic church using the finite element method (FEM) based on laser scans of its geometry. The main goal of the study was the analysis of the causes of cracking and crushing of masonry walls. An FEM model of the structure has been defined in ABAQUS. A non-linear dynamic explicit analysis with material model including damage plasticity has been performed. A homogenization procedure has been applied to obtain the material parameters used in the modelling of masonry. In the numerical analysis, the interactions between the church structure, the foundations and the ground were taken into account.The obtained results match well with the damaged area of the entire structure from the in situ survey, and it should be highlighted that the proposed FEM model allows for a rather precise identification of the causes and effects of cracking walls in a qualitative sense. Also a brief research summary is presented.

Landscape for Mourning – Adaptive Reuse of a Rural Church and its Surroundings as an urn Cemetery

This paper elaborates on the design of a place for mourning as a new use for an abandoned church building and its surroundings. Rather than replacing Christian worship with a secular program, the project aims to reactivate and strengthen the historical presence of spirituality by adding new layers to the design of this historic church. Using the singularity of the place and the quality of its rural landscape as catalysts, the proposed design seeks to place death and the act of mourning within a broader and renewed spiritual experience by borrowing and associating concepts related to rituals from different cultures and times. Besides a columbarium and a funeral space, the site may be used as a place for the celebration of life and its memory or simply as a meaningful place to meet with family or friends. The church, for which an adaptive reuse proposal is discussed in this paper, is one of many in Flanders that, in recent years, has lost its religious function as the result of the secularization of society. The presented project is part of a research program initiated by the Flemish Government that aims to conduct feasibility studies for the transformation of parish churches using research–by–design as a methodology.

Analysis of the Condition of Damaged Vaults after a Construction Disaster in a Historic Church

The paper presents an analysis of the causes and effects of masonry vaults damage after a construction disaster in the historic church of St. George in Hajduki Nyskie (southern Poland), dated to the beginning of the XIV century. As a result of the collapse of the eastern gable wall, some parts of the vaults and a wooden roof were destroyed, as well as other structural elements and part of the church's equipment. The building combines late Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque style elements, representing high, trans-regional historical and artistic, religious and cultural values, in particular due to the valuable gothic wall paintings preserved in the nave. The paper presents the state of the building before and after the construction disaster as well as recommendations regarding the reconstruction of the vaults.

AE Damage Assessment in the Bell Tower of the Turin Cathedral

Historical churches, masonry towers and bell towers are structures subjected to high risk, due to their age, elevation and low base area on height ratio. In this work, an innovative monitoring technique for structural integrity assessment of historical buildings is reported. At the same time, the emblematic case study of the Turin Cathedral Bell tower is presented. The damage evolution in the tall masonry structure is described by the evaluation of the cumulative number of AE and by different parameters able to predict the time dependence of damage. In particular, since environmental disturbances have been minimized, and instrumental noises have been filtered out. The b-value analysis shows a downward trend to values compatible with the growth of localized macro-cracks at the base of the tower. These results seem to be in good agreement with the numerical analysis. Extension to longer monitoring periods and, later, investigation of different segments are strongly recommended to assess the stability of the monument.

Serendipitous conservation: faith-to-faith conversion of historic churches in Buffalo

ABSTRACTUS cities with shrinking populations have faced tremendous challenges in conserving their built heritage. Often, conservation work involves adaptively reusing existing buildings. Most reuse activity is fuelled by the developer and market-driven rehabilitation of historic properties through tax credits and other incentives. Places of worship like churches, however, are difficult to rehabilitate, and cities lose this urban heritage after years of vacancy and neglect, and eventual demolition. In many shrinking cities, particularly those now welcoming new immigrants and refugees, serendipitous conservation of vacant churches through faith-to-faith conversion can be an asset to local planners and preservationists in their fight to save urban heritage from demolition. This paper examines two former Roman Catholic Churches in the City of Buffalo: one converted into an Islamic mosque, and another into a Buddhist temple, to argue that faith-to-faith conversions can be a viable tool for other US cities experiencing similar threats to their urban heritage.

Blessed Fate: The Study on how Heritage Churches resist natural calamities

Heritage structures are known to be resilient structures in terms of their structural stability. These buildings proved their strength throughout their existence. However, some heritage structures lead to undesirable fate due to some uncontrollable factors such as natural calamities.The Philippines is known to be one of the countries that are prone to natural disasters. From typhoon, earthquake, flash floods, volcano eruptions, and other natural disasters. Every calamity that passes through the country leaves some damages, especially to infrastructures.As part of the colorful history of the Philippines, its thousands of islands have become home to various heritage sites and structures left by different invaders and foreign influences. These structures were built in traditional construction methods without the help of technology and survived for centuries.Various research strategies were used to show how these some Century-old churches of the Philippines were able to withstand and endure different calamities. This research shows some possible reasons behind the structural stability and integrity of these historic churches, and how these faced natural disasters and remain to stand. Findings for the study includes its History, Structural Components, Architectural Features and Building Materials. These factors have shown differences between the traditional and modern construction method which partly proved its contribution to the stability of these structures.

Akta wizytacji podkrakowskiej parafii Zielonki z XVIII wieku w zasobie w Archiwum Kurii Metropolitalnej w Krakowie

W niniejszej publikacji autorzy prezentują osiemnastowieczne akta wizytacji podkrakowskiej parafii pw. Narodzenia Najświętszej Marii Panny w Zielonkach. Zabytkowy kościół z XIV wieku (większa część obecnego kościoła pochodzi z XVI wieku) przez lata był zależny od krakowskiej kapituły katedralnej, potem Akademii Krakowskiej (obecnie Uniwersytet Jagielloński) oraz kolegiaty św. Anny. Przybliżone zostały tutaj w formie edycji tekstu źródłowego trzy ostatnie wizytacje parafii Zielonki sprzed upadku Rzeczypospolitej: z 1727 roku (AVCap 61 oraz AV 23), z 1748 roku (AV 29 oraz Tabele Załuskiego 7) i z 1783 roku (AV 55). Księgi tych wizytacji są przechowywane w Archiwum Kurii Metropolitalnej w Krakowie (AKMKr), mieszczącym się przy ul. Franciszkańskiej 3. Wizytacje te to rękopisy w języku łacińskim oraz polskim z dużą liczbą zwrotów pochodzących z łaciny. Wyłącznie Tabele biskupa Załuskiego mają format drukowanego formularza, w którego rubryki odręcznie zostały naniesione stosowne informacje. Celem autorów było dokonanie możliwie wiernej edycji tych źródeł, aby udostępnić je szerszemu gronu odbiorców. Metodologia pracy skupiła się na rozwinięciu skrótów zastosowanych przez pisarzy, uwspółcześnieniu pisowni dla większej czytelności tekstu, a także dodaniu znaków diakrytycznych i znaków interpunkcyjnych w wymagających tego miejscach. Autorzy wzbogacili tekst przypisami tekstowymi, bibliograficznymi i terminologicznymi. Podjęte czynności edytorskie są zgodne z zasadami naukowej edycji źródeł historycznych dla tekstów nowożytnych. W rezultacie autorzy prezentują trzy pełne teksty wizytacji, wraz z inwentarzami, opatrzone wstępem, przypisami oraz bibliografią.

Rights and Relationships: Rhetorics of Religious Freedom among English Evangelicals

AbstractThis paper uses evangelical reflections on the meaning of “rights” to explore the juridification of religion in contemporary England. Drawing on sixteen months of participatory fieldwork with evangelicals in London, I argue that English evangelicals’ critiques of Christian-interest litigation reflect the interaction of local theologies with developments in the law’s regulation of religion, developments that have contributed to the relativization of Protestant Christianity even as historic church establishment is maintained. Through an exploration of the tension between the goals of (rights-based) individualism and (Christian) relationalism as they concern the law, I show how litigation can affect religious subjectivity even in the absence of a personal experience with the pageantry of the court.