Art and Poetry: Architecture at the Christian Science Plaza

The Mother Church:

The Mother Church is located at the heart of the Christian Science Plaza, and is almost exactly the same as it was when it was first build. The Church was completed in 1894 after a period of 13 months. The Church is modeled off of the Romanesque architectural style with the exterior of the building being made out of New Hampshire granite. Inside the Church, which fits 900 people, are frescoes created by Italian artisans and freehand decorates the upper part of the walls. There is mosaic work around the lower parts of the walls, the front platform, and the floor, which was done in a traditional style with each individual stone set separately. The desk, pews, and organ are made from red birch from Canada.

The stained-glass windows in the Church depict various stories from the Bible, and were made in Boston out of opalescent glass, which is colorful glass made with a variety of shades. The Bible is an extremely important part of Christian Science, which is why it is incorporated into the Church architecture in such a conspicuous way.

The Extension of the Mother Church:

The domed extension to the Mother Church was completed in 1906 after a period of just 23 months. The exterior of the building is based off of an Italian Renaissance to match with the architecture in Boston at the time. The inside of the dome is solely decorative, filled with lamps that simulate natural light, as Christian Scientists have a deep appreciation of the beauty of nature and healing. The exterior of the dome is twice as high as the interior dome. Due to the small plot of land the building was built upward instead of outward, so the large sanctuary that seats over 3,000 people is on the second floor.

Christian Science Publishing House:

The nine-story, neo-classical style Publishing house was completed in 1934 and was made out of granite and limestone. The 308,000 square foot building originally housed the publishing-related activities of the building, and included storage, production space, massive printing presses, and bindery equipment. In 2006, the Church announced that its headquarters would be moved to the Publishing House, and the relocation was finished in the spring of 2008. The building now houses The Mary Baker Eddy Library, the newsroom of the Christian Science Monitor, and the Christian Science Publishing Society.