Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Groovy organ

While browsing around the net for groovy organ facades, I found this interesting one, shaped like a hand. The instrument is found in the church of Notre Dame des Neiges, in Alpe d'Huez, France. The building is very curvy as you can see, and the organ sits in a cement shell. Actually, the sanctuary IS the cement shell. For concerts, they just move the altar table to the side. Interesting seating arrangements for the congregation, though. At any rate, the organ is very mod. I rather like it.


Church Organ

6 comments:

PhiMuAlpha2681 said...

Any info on builder or the spec?

Richard Chonak said...

The Church of the Guidonian Hand.

Fr. Erik Richtsteig said...

Ah yes, the true sign of the real presence and our salvation.

Puff the Magic Dragon said...

For a Church it makes a good concert hall.

DominiSumus said...

That organ freaks me out. It's SCARY!

Richard Chonak said...

Let me try to say something nice: the organ design is actually clever. If it were in a beautiful church somewhere in a suitable niche, it might have a nice effect. Perhaps if the parish were dedicated in honor of our Lord's Holy Wounds, the Atonement, or the Stigmata of St. Francis?

The church design is not very appealing, though, and the notion of moving the altar of a church aside during a concert doesn't seem proper to me. The altar is the reason for the church, and should be subordinated to nothing.

As it stands, that church, Our Lady of the Snows, in the Alps presents quite a mental picture: one hand reaching up from under an avalanche!