Uniqueness of Gothic Style in Cathedral Church of Chirst in No 29 Marina Road, Lagos Island, Lagos, Nigeria

Abstract

Every church has its own character that is peculiar to it because churches are compilations of unique signs in form of ornaments. The functions that take place in them are reflected in architectural style adopted in the construction of the church. The significance of architectural features meaning must be planned while interpretation given to the building characters by the Church liturgy in history determined congregants ‘mode of worship. The Church become where symbols of religious language are used to express its faith and dispose all congregants to receive its vision and belief. Symbols are pictorial representations of beliefs.  Choice of church forms depends on the liturgical requirements and symbolical architectural characters. The uniqueness in cathedral structures is of the hierarchy of Earth and Heaven and often reveals its meaning through the internal decoration of the building with frescos or mosaics. The aim of this research is to describe the features that distinguished Cathedral Church of Christ in No29 Marina road, Lagos Island, Lagos from other Cathedral Churches in Nigeria. Qualitative research method was used for this study; in-depth interview was conducted through spontaneous questions from the provost of the church and personal observation was conducted in the Cathedral. Place theory and sustainable theory was used to analyzed and presented the data collected. The church features and architectural concept of the cathedral was descriptively obtained from the provost. This study revealed that the cathedral church of Christ in Marina symbolizes the progression of the Christian soul towards Salvation. The cathedral was centrally planned. This study shows how Cathedral Church of Christ speaks volume about the built environment of the existing urban fabric, past historic, spiritual activities and symbolic expression of the church to congregants. This study advocates preservation from the perspective of sustainable principles of historical and socio-cultural practices for better adaptation of resources and concludes by recommending remedies towards conservations of Cultural/National heritage.