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NOVEMBER 1967
St.
Lazarus Serbian Orthodox Church Ravanica was designed primarily as a monument to
the timeless qualities of the Serbian Orthodox religion and to the noteworthy
cultural contributions of its people’s ancestry.
It
reflects the achievements of Serbian church builders during the time preceding
the fourteenth century - during which period their religious reverence,
devotion, and fervor prompted them to build a great number of churches in the
small part of Europe called Yugoslavia now, then Serbia, churches with many
distinctive and remarkable architectural, engineering, and artistic features and
characteristics.
As
seen from a distance, ST. LAZARUS CHURCH thrusts its golden dome skyward for 70
feet, commanding attention with a dramatic visual impact from all directions.
The glistening roof, capped by one large and four smaller crosses, distinctively
in the Serbian Orthodox shape, heralds the religious and cultural community it
shelters.
As
one gets closer to the structure, the sculptural qualities of its design become
more apparent and their affinity to the architectural character of the old
churches becomes more recognizable. This character is manifest in its materials,
forms and details.
The
new church building weighs 5600 tons. From the bottom grade to the top of the
dome it is 70 feet in height. It is 101 feet wide and 145 feet long. The church
sits on 3 1/2 acres occupying 153,000 square feet and the parking lot takes up
25,800 square feet. Our hall is erected on .6 acre of land. The large cross on
top of the dome is 14 feet high. The entrance stained glass arch windows are 31
feet high and 7 feet wide. The building started in 1965, and is built
structurally to last 1,000 years. The pews seating capacity is 622. The choir
loft holds 150 people. The church is fireproofed and air-conditioned.
It
contains 160 tons of steel, 1,100 tons of stone, 2,240 tons of concrete and
1,000 tons of plaster, lath, roofing, etc.
The
singing of liturgical chants is an important part of the religious ceremony and
the acoustics of this church were designed to achieve the kind of sound quality
that would enhance the effects.
In one sense ST. LAZARUS is a collection of museum pieces, but in another sense it is a piece of living architecture that creates an impression and an environment that is respectful both of the rich cultural heritage of the Serbian people and of its needs, tastes and standards of today.