National Gallery of Canada (NGC)Main MenuRideau Street Chapel: The Effects of Relocation on the Experience of an Interiorby Ty FollisThe Water Courtby Jaclyn Legge
Conclusion
12024-01-08T12:35:38-08:00Maegen Sargentf8c37f900ecb77afe0a6ed383bd0b77ea6c1266b443093by Ty Follisplain13573172024-09-16T12:13:40-07:00Maegen Sargentf8c37f900ecb77afe0a6ed383bd0b77ea6c1266bThe Rideau Street Chapel's journey of relocation to the National Gallery of Canada had its beginnings in a desperate struggle to save an architectural monument from demolition. Displaying the ornate interior had to be done with extreme care to properly express its spiritual past upon its visitors while displaying the architecture in a secular setting. The chapel’s success in this lies in the multi-stage procession to the chapel itself, where each stage draws one further into a religious state of mind. The Gallery on its own denotes Gothic and Renaissance motifs in its thick column buttresses, high ceilings and barrel vaults. Crucially, the garden court just outside the chapel prepares the visitor for spiritual contemplation by entering them into a quiet garden space filled with light from the sky and sounds coming from a Renaissance-style choir. Inside the chapel, the focus is placed on the architecture and its religious significance, with a few angelic statues and the sounds of the Renaissance motet filling the space. Finally, the visitor exits to find a stunning view of the courtyard with a bust above, and the sky stretching to infinity. Down to the minute details, the Gallery seems to emanate this spiritual experience in every step. With such a perfect home for the Rideau Chapel, where else could it be?
