Mary, Star of The Sea Catholic Church, G886+W7R, East Sunrise Highway, City of Freeport, Island of Grand Bahama, The Bahamas / Built: 1971 / Architect: Rene Valladares, O., A.I.A.

In the Mind of the Architect

In the Architect’s words, “Trans-Facetic Contemporary.” Availability of materials and the desire to eliminate pillars dictated the use of concrete reinforced with steel.

A towering cross, soaring over 40 feet and painted a brilliant red, overlooks East Sunrise Highway at the entrance of the Church. The color was chosen, as the Very Rev. Brendan F. Forsyth explained, to represent the liturgical color red that symbolizes Love, Sacrifice, and the Blood of Martyrdom. The cross represents a “perpetual reminder that we were redeemed by Our Savior who showed His Love when He sacrificed Himself on the cross and purchased our redemption through His Blood.”

Entering the church through wide, welcoming glass doors, the worshipper steps into a vast colosseum-like area. The walls and ceiling meeting in simple, unbroken lines. Over the altar and sanctuary area, the roof is broken by an apse that rises to thirty-four feet. A recessed area behind the altar provides an effective central location for the eight-foot Crucifix, and two invisible windows reflect indirect lighting on it. A simple, marble-topped altar occupies the center of the large sanctuary, ample for the most solemn of liturgical worship.

The semi-circular form with the altar in the center was chosen so that no one in the congregation is any farther than sixty feet from the altar. The inclining floor assures a clear view. These two features aid in full participation in the Scared Liturgy.

Groundbreaking:
November 22, 1970
Construction Started:
January 5, 1971
Construction Completed:
November 1, 1971

Architect:
Rene Valladares, O., A.I.A.

Materials:
4,134,375 lbs. poured concrete (in situ.)
210,000 lbs. reinforcing steel
60,000 sq. ft. of form work *used in construction
85,020 lbs. asphalt paving, providing parking for 200 cars.

Dimensions:
Nave: 8,000 sq. ft.
Four Transepts: 4,500 sq. ft.
Apse: 34 ft. high
Exterior Cross: 40 ft. High

Acreage of Entire Compound, (School, Convent, Rectory, Church):
Over 10 acres

Credit for the data above is given to the following websites:
mssfpo.wixsite.com/mss1/about
www.archdioceseofnassau.org/

© All Rights Reserved - you may not use this image in any form without my prior permission.

Taken in: Bahamas / West Grand Bahama District / Russell Town (show map)

Taken on: September 19, 2024

Tags:

City of Freeport

The Bahamas

Caribbean Sea

Atlantic Ocean

travel

vacation destination

urban

city

cityscape

architecture

building

street photography

district and free trade zone

Wallace Groves

second most populous city in The Bahamas

The Grand Bahama Port Authority

Hawksbill Creek Agreement

city is often promoted as Freeport/Lucaya

Most hotels on the island are located in Lucaya along the southern shore facing the Northwest Providence Channel

The primary shopping venue for tourists is the Port Lucaya Marketplace in Lucaya

Island of Grand Bahama

gazebo

Mary

Star of The Sea Catholic Church

G886+W7R

East Sunrise Highway

Built: 1971

Architect: Rene Valladares

A.I.A.

holy place

place of worship

religious building

Christian church

Jesus

God

prayer

Trans-Facetic Contemporary

concrete reinforced with steel

towering cross

soaring over 40 feet

Rev. Brendan F. Forsyth

The cross represents a perpetual reminder that we were redeemed by Our Savior who showed His Love when He sacrificed Himself on the cross and purchased our redemption through His Blood

glass doors

over the altar and sanctuary area

the roof is broken by an apse that rises to thirty-four feet

recessed area behind the altar provides an effective central location for the eight-foot Crucifix

two invisible windows reflect indirect lighting on it

marble-topped altar occupies the center of the large sanctuary ample for the most solemn of liturgical worship

the semi-circular form with the altar in the center was chosen so that no one in the congregation is any farther than sixty feet from the altar

the inclining floor assures a clear

shrine to the Virgin Mary

Freeport

Mary Star of The Sea Catholic Church

Virgin Mary « less

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