Pietro Belluschi’s working model
of Portsmouth Priory Church (1958)With this month marking the ordination of Dom Benedict Maria, many arrived to join the celebration here at the Church of St. Gregory the Great. Surely that space enhanced the liturgical experience – and indeed made it possible. In the 1950’s, the monastery had long been anticipating its construction, and awaited its capacity to hold many more congregants for a growing School and for liturgies welcoming many guests. The “Portsmouth Bulletin” of the Fall of 1958 offers insights into the sense of excitement generated by the design, including a reflection of Prior Aelred Graham, some “informed criticism” from Mr. John Walker of the National Gallery of Art, and a brief description of the wire sculpture of Richard Lippold. The perspectives they articulate seem to have endured the test of time, offering assessments of the beauty of the design of the space that its ultimate realization has proven true. Belluschi’s vision is lauded for its effective modernizing of antecedent elements, and the introduction of the Lippold wire sculpture is presented as a stunning revelation. And we, now 65 years on from the dedication of the church, are able to enjoy all that it continues to offer.
Masthead for newsletter (Fall 1958)Dear Friends of Portsmouth:

The long preliminaries to the actual building of Portsmouth Priory’s permanent Church and Monastery are now almost complete. A letter dated September 8 from our architects’ office contains the following significant sentence: "We are taking the completion schedule very seriously and feel that we can assure you that the documents can be in the hands of the bidders by the fifteenth of October". Our calculations are that construction will begin within a month thereafter.
Church under constructionWhat will our new buildings look like? More specifically – What kind of church is it that is presently to arise here at Portsmouth? This issue of our news letter is largely devoted to attempting to answer that question more fully than hitherto. Over leaf will be found a photograph of the architects’ working model for the interior of the Church. The model was not designed for presentation purposes but, rough and ready though the architects insist that it is, it will suggest a three-dimensional perspective of the future Priory Church. Perhaps even more helpful in this respect is the authoritative appraisal of Dean Pietro Belluschi’s designs, which follows immediately the text of the present letter. We are privileged to be able to print a critical evaluation of our building project by a judge no less qualified than the Director of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D. C.
Cross and shovel,
at site of churchModern Benedictines, it might well be argued, are no better equipped than their fellow clearly to pronounce on the merits of a piece of architecture. Clerical training, let it be honestly admitted, is not much concerned with cultivating a sense of the beautiful. Sound aesthetic judgment, in fact, is hardly the most desirable quality to be looked for in a priest. But the limitations of ecclesiastics in this matter should be frankly acknowledged – the average member of the clergy has no more title to be listened to when he praises, than when he condemns, a work of art. His competence lies in other fields of human endeavor. Clerical judgments, as such, when directed to the questions of aesthetic taste, in which church architecture must obviously be included, carry no particular weight. Awareness of this fact was what led to the designs of Portsmouth Priory’s permanent church being submitted to the appraisal of a competent lay expert. The laity, who are assisting us so generously, have a right to know what the qualified layman thinks about our project. We are grateful to Mr. John Walker for his masterly piece of informed criticism. If, as the poet says, "a thing of beauty is a joy for ever", the conclusion seems to follow that those who are helping us to erect these new buildings are not only supporting the two great causes of religion and education; they are immortalizing themselves as patrons of the arts.
Prior Aelred Graham, OSBA further enhancement of the interior of the church is to be a "sculpture" by Mr. Richard Lippold, which is described elsewhere in this bulletin. Again, the incompetence, as evidenced by innumerable ecclesiastical buildings, of the clergy to pronounce on what is, or is not, beautiful in matters of church adornment led us to rely on the judgment of our architects. In a letter dated August 12, Dean Belluschi writes, with reference to the Lippold design: "All of us here are very excited about the possibilities, and if it turns out as well as we believe, it will be one of the outstanding modern sculptures on the American scene. It is an unusual transcendent concept, with the weightless quality of light – a web of golden light proceeding from and leading to the Corpus". We are confident that the interest of our friends will be intensified as Portsmouth Priory’s great project takes concrete shape.

Wishing you every blessing, I am,
Yours very sincerely in Christ, Aelred Graham, Prior

Letterhead used by Mr. John Walker
in note to Prior Aelred Graham
Dear Prior Graham:

I am very grateful to you for the opportunity to study the plans and elevations prepared by Pietro Belluschi for the new Portsmouth Priory Church and Monastery. First, let me congratulate you on the selection of Professor Belluschi for this project. He is outstanding among designers of modern churches. He has a remarkable grasp of contemporary style and a profound understanding of the traditional aspects of church symbolism. The preliminary studies which he has submitted point to a group of buildings of great architectural beauty and significance.

There is a pressing need for Catholic churches in a sound contemporary style. We must free ourselves from those tiresome exercises in "20th century Gothic," "neo-Renaissance," or "Colonial," with which we are all too familiar. Since the end of the ancient world, monuments of architecture have been noble witnesses to the inspiration of the Church. Today, we must also have a style of religious architecture expressive of our century and worthy of this great tradition. Mr. Belluschi himself has made an eloquent plea for a modern style of church architecture in these words: "We must learn to speak our own emotions in our own way, because the powers of the human mind draw strength from its own efforts and wilt from imitation." His own churches are examples of that valid contemporary expression which we so need today.

How modern the churches of the past looked to their own time is difficult for us to realize. The 12th century Gothic builder was a radical innovator, the Renaissance church designer was revolutionary compared to his predecessors, and the Baroque architect of the 17th century introduced entirely new concepts of architectural space. Imitating the past for its own sake was out of the question. Architects were always aware of antecedent schools of architecture, and were in fact influenced by the work of their predecessors, but they never slavishly copied. They allowed their ideas to evolve, with due respect to the needs and possibilities of their time.

There are many reasons why architecture cannot repeat itself. For example, today we have not the craftsman who cut the stones for the great Gothic cathedrals, nor have we the masters of perspective who once decorated the cupolas of the Renaissance and Baroque churches. The conditions of faith no longer exist that would allow an entire city to cooperate in the raising of a Gothic cathedral such as Chartres, nor is our taste that of the Counter-Reformation, when sumptuous effects seemed more important than the simplicity we admire.

There are many reasons why architecture cannot repeat itself. For example, today we have not the craftsman who cut the stones for the great Gothic cathedrals, nor have we the masters of perspective who once decorated the cupolas of the Renaissance and Baroque churches. The conditions of faith no longer exist that would allow an entire city to cooperate in the raising of a Gothic cathedral such as Chartres, nor is our taste that of the Counter-Reformation, when sumptuous effects seemed more important than the simplicity we admire.

I understand that wooden piers and laminated arches are to be used, similar to those in Belluschi’s four earlier churches in Oregon, and that the stone chosen for facing will be quarried from the site. This is in line with Belluschi’s notable feeling for the textures and qualities of natural materials. Of course, the beautiful aspects of the chapel’s finished appearance can only be foreshadowed in the studies which I have had an opportunity to see. But I am impressed even in these preliminary drawings by the special elegance of the relationship of church and flanking monastery.

It is with eager anticipation that I await the commencement of your church. I believe that it may well become a pilgrimage site for all those sensitive to the beauty of architecture in our time.
John Walker
(image: Yousef Karsh)
With warmest personal regards and all best wishes.
Very sincerely yours,
Signed: John Walker, Director