Unusual Design Of Runanga Church

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30626, 17 December 1964, Page 15

Unusual Design Of Runanga Church

The new Church of the' Sacred Heart in Runanga,; which was blessed and opened on December 13, incorporates several new architec-' tural features, in keeping! with the recent liturgical changes of the Roman Catholic Church.

Of chief interest is the arrangement of the altar, which allows Mass to be celebrated with the priest facing the people. The crucifix, which is suspended over the altar, is the first in New Zealand to have a figure of | Christ on each side, onei facing the priest and one] facing the people. The main facing of the ■ altar is constructed of dark] green West Coast serpentined and several other aspects of I the building emphasise thel locality of Runanga. Above! the main door of the build-1 ing is an eight-foot-square window with a picture of Christ superimposed on a view of the Runanga hills. The glass was sandblasted to create the picture. On the front of the church are small glass windows picturing coalmining operations around Runanga. Pieces of local coal were used in the construction of the building, set into cement slabs to continue the local motif.

The church is architec-1 turally unusual, with special! emphasis placed on the light-! ing of the sanctuary. The’ roof is butterfly-shaped, a lifted portion over the sanctuary allowing concealed clear-storey lighting. To reflect the light, the rear wall is painted white; the floor-to-

ceiling side windows darken from light pink near the sanctuary to a deep red at the back of the church. Further, the ceiling slants up toward the sanctuary, increasing the emphasis of the area around the altar. The building was designed by Mr G. Hedges, who re-

turned to England while the building was being built. Mr C. R. Thomas, of Christchurch, who acted as an adviser after Mr Hedge’s departure, called the building “quite a departure from the standard church design of a steeple and high arched roof.”