All Saints Church Ballymena

Rooney & McConville were appointed as architects and liturgical designers for the renovation of the sanctuary and other improvement / repair work to the interior of All Saints Church, Ballymena.

The building is a traditional nineteenth century stone building comprising nave, aisles and apse. The sanctuary contained a reredos, side altars and altar rails. As is common in many churches, the mensa and lower frontal had been separated from the reredos and moved forward to form a freestanding altar. The original marble pulpit had been reduced in size and height and relocated to form an ambo. Unusually, the altar rails and side altars had been retained.

However, of concern was the lack of space to carry out the liturgy with an appropriate dignity,  particularly during concelebration, celebration of the rite of marriage, and funeral liturgy. A reassessment of the space available for these actions was seen as a priority.

The purpose of the renovation, therefore, was to reconsider the sanctuary in order that each of the liturgical elements had their own sacramental space.

The starting point of every church renovation is the altar, the table at which the sacred mysteries are celebrated under sacred signs. The altar is to be the focal point of the church, the centre of the Eucharistic celebration therefore, it should be distinguished from the reredos in the apse that houses the tabernacle. We gather around the altar as the faithful to give thanks, to offer the Sacrifice of the Mass and to share in the supper of Our Lord. For these reasons the altar must dominate the sanctuary and be the natural focus of the assembly’s attention.

With these considerations in mind the altar is located further forward nearer to the congregation expressing the fact that the community gathers around it as one. The floor of the sanctuary is extended out to accommodate the altar and the floor pattern is designed in such a way as to focus on it. The new floor tiling design contains the inscription ‘Salvator Mundi Salvator Nos’ (‘Saviour of the World, Save Us’) in a circular pattern with the altar at its centre. This has the advantage of increasing the size of the sanctuary providing the additional space required for the other elements and symbolically it places Christ at the centre of this worshipping community and its aspirations. It also allows the celebrant to stand much further away from the tabernacle allowing it to have its own space so that the Reserved Sacrament can have much more dignity than heretofore. The design of the new altar itself has been inspired by the pulpit incorporating some of the original marble detailing so that there is a strong sense of continuity.

By virtue of placing the new altar further forward, the reredos and tabernacle have room to 'breathe'. The existing altar rails were retained but by virtue of the new sanctuary layout are now between the altar and reredos creating a zone for reservation, a 'holy of holies', at the rear of the sanctuary.