Group Blog #1

Having seen the outside of the Downtown Presbyterian Church for years, I never expected the inside to look the way it did! The building blends in well with the others around it, and the location and outer appearance give no hint about the elaborate inside decor. The church isn't extremely large, but inside, it feels massive. The high ceilings and huge windows, large furniture, and tall pillars absolutely dwarf a person inside. This creates a sense of importance and respect. Everyone in my group didn't expect the inside of a church to be so elaborately made to look like ancient Egypt, and we were all in awe of the amazing detail of the walls, stained glass windows, and painted ceiling. It almost felt like a museum, or like we were stepping into a whole other time and place. The sturdy wooden furniture really gives the impression of strength, which is expected in a church, and the dim lighting (although I'm sure it's not always lit like that) added to the feeling of reverence and foreignness while we were there.

The stained glass windows had yellow sand, bright green palm trees, and blue sections representing the Nile River. There were even representations of papyrus plants. The windows are meant to make the viewer feel like he or she is looking out into Ancient Egypt, and to me, they definitely added to the foreign feel of the church.

My absolute favorite part of the church was the trompe l'oeil near the altar. The walls were painted to look as if they were a patio looking out onto a hypostyle hall. The detailing on the columns stayed true to Egyptian style, and the trompe l'oeil was very well done. The rhythm of the repeated columns added to the vast feel of the room.

Overall, I wish I could have explored the church more thoroughly. The back room with a bit of the church's history was very interesting. It's nice to have a little part of Egypt in our city!