Dr. Denis McNamara is the author of numerous articles and books on art and architecture and how it relates to the church. His most recent book, Catholic Church Architecture and the Spirit of the Liturgy, has been praised by many as the sourcebook for studying, designing and building Catholic churches. He has been called "one of this generation's finest architectural historians."
Meleca Architecture was privileged to work with McNamara on the design of St. Michael the Archangel, Leawood, Kansas. McNamara features several of Meleca's designs of St. Michael's in his latest book.
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| New Classicism in church design. St. Michael the Archangel Church, Leawood, Kansas. Designed by David Meleca |
An excerpt from the book, "If Classical architecture is merely a product of its age (which, theoretically, was long ago) how, then, could the New Classicists come from the Age of the Machine and Modernism and yet still embrace the Classical tradition?"
"Classicism represents not so much a set of architectural forms as it does a philosophy of the nature of things as expressed in art and architecture. Those who think most deeply about Classicism recognize it as a system of building that goes far beyond nostalgia and copyism. For some, intuitive knowledge and common sense argue for an architecture of continuity that is humane in scale and rich in poetic allusion. All architecture does this to some degree."
In the conclusion of his book, McNamara includes a Q&A section which discusses the most frequent questions asked by students, building committee members, pastors and parishioners. Question 9. Who are some of the leading traditional church architects practicing today? McNamara lists 8 architects from across the country, David Meleca, one of them.
