Influence of liturgy and socio-culture on the form and meaning of the architecture of Sacred Hearts Catholic Church Odogunyan, Ikorodu, Lagos, Nigeria

Abstract

Church architecture is the design and building of places of worship for Christians that changed from simple houses converted to meeting places, to architectural styles, of various shapes and sizes. It is a product of culture and human civilization and dynamics of liturgy, and they have forms and are meaningful. There has been little knowledge and understanding of the influence on forms and meanings as regards many local churches, especially as in Sacred Hearts catholic churches in Ikorodu. The need to unravel this knowledge was the focus of this study. The research explored the idea that Form and Meaning of church architecture are influenced by the liturgy and socio culture of the people they belong, and that embedded in the beliefs and values were architecture variables that when assessed bring out the modalities of the influence. Many scholars have examined the relationship between church architectural form and meaning as a reaction to the phenomenon of the desacralization of Catholic Church architecture after the Second Vatican Council, however, the research that addressed the issue of influence on form and meaning of Sacred Hearts Catholic Church Ikorodu architecture has not been carried out. While this was not a wholesome study of history of architecture, it is important to discuss concepts seeking the ordering principles informing the creation of form and meaning for the church under study. The study methodology was qualitative and quantitative and assessed by observation, questionnaire, and interview. The findings enhanced understanding and values attached to the Ikorodu Sacred Hearts Catholic Church and broaden knowledge base for academic research in other churches and fields of research. KEY WORDS. Church Architecture. Church-Form. Church-Meaning. Church-Symbols.