St Colmcille's Church Ballyhackamore

Rooney & McConville were appointed as liturgical designers for the interior of this large refurbished Romanesque style church as part of the refurbishment design team led by McLean & Forte Chartered Architects. The sanctuary had been unsympathetically renovated in the 1980s with the insertion of a cluttered mix of timber furniture and screens. This renovation included the overlaying of carpeted timber and concrete platforms on top of a fine original mosaic sanctuary floor.

Our design opens the sanctuary up again with a new simple layout that reconciles the interior with the needs of the liturgy. Taking advantage of the original floor levels, and revealing the beautiful mosaic sanctuary floor, abundant space is allocated to each of the liturgical 'centres' - ambo, altar and chair.

Due to the proximity of the reredos, a new freestanding solid marble altar is located on the edge of the upper level of the sanctuary, someway in front of the reredos. In this position, and with the assistance of artificial floor lighting, the altar can begin to be the focal point of the sanctuary. Here too it avoids causing further loss of mosaic flooring. A new oak ambo and Presider’s Chair are located on either side of the altar on the lower sanctuary floor level.

With the removal of the previous timber seating and screen, views to the reredos were opened up again. The previous attempt to suppress the reredos by means of the seating and screen was unsatisfactory, undermining the dignity of the Real Presence.

The altar incorporates a central opening reminiscent of an arched doorway often seen in Irish Romanesque churches. The semi-circular arch is present throughout the interior, the windows for instance and the sacristy door. This opening together with a sweeping profile strikes a balance between solid and void so that, even though it is made of marble, it does not look too heavy. It 'grows' out of the floor, rooted to the ground and permanent like faith. Christ becomes truly present at the altar in a special way, and so we consider the altar itself to be Christ. Christ is also the doorway to the Father through which we must pass.

When work began it was discovered that the original mosaic floor of the sanctuary had been covered over with concrete and was largely intact. It was decided to restore it as a way of honouring the faith of previous generations and integrating the new proposals into the existing interior.

Having restored the mosaic floor, it was decided that nothing permanent should be placed on it. For this reason the new altar was positioned where its impact on the restored mosaic would be minimal yet it could retain its pre-eminence. In contrast the Ambo and Presider’s Chair could remain on the restored mosaic as loose furniture. The new Ambo was changed from marble as originally intended to hardwood so that it could be placed on top of the mosaic without obscuring it or compromising it.

The original baptismal font had been located on the sanctuary, adding to the clutter with little space for the dignified celebration of the sacrament. The font was retained and relocated to a space beside the sanctuary, and equally importantly, on the same floor level as the nave. Lit by an existing baptismal window, and marked by a floor pattern with a theme of water, in this location a baptistery is formed where there is space and visibility for the sacrament to be celebrated in its fullness.