St. Juliana Catholic Church

West Palm Beach, Florida

In an effort to bring the interior of St. Juliana into better alignment with its exterior style, rounded arches have been employed as a key element. St. Juliana’s façade is in the style of a Spanish Colonial Mission, which draws influence from the Roman architectural tradition, but with relative austerity in overall form. This particular aesthetic probably owes to the skills and resources available in the remote colonial missions that first brought Catholicism to Florida between the 16th and 17th centuries, yet still reflected the European tastes of the time.

Prior to the renovation, the interior of St. Juliana reflected the tastes of the 20th century that appear anachronistic when compared with the building’s façade. However, by highlighting traditional features, such as the wood ceiling beams, the space regains some of its old-world identity. In this spirit, decorative motifs of Romanesque origin allow for a greater concentration of detail to be focused on the Sanctuary. Here, newly designed altar-pieces help to further characterize the space in more traditional terms, while being referential to forms that have long occupied the space. This is true of the new reredos, which has a gabled top, reminiscent of the prior wall treatments and echo the roof line of the building.

The patroness, St. Juliana is given greater prominence by receiving a new wall-mounting with faux gold mosaic. Her status as an early-Christian martyr saint is thematically tied with the martyrdom of Christ. This takes the form of the Lamb of God, who is flanked by palm fronds, (the symbolic attribute of Christian martyrs.) There is a running border pattern in a wave form, with blues and reds that signify the Precious Blood and “streams of water” referred to in Psalm 42; “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.” A second running border of leaves surround the Holy Family statuary and are surmounted by scrolling branches that call to mind the depictions of the Root of Jesse -the Holy Family tree.

The ceiling displays celestial themes with stars in fields of striking blue, which has an antique hue and slight translucence, as another acknowledgement of the building’s past. This works in conjuction with traditional beam decoration to elevate these functional features to aesthetic ones that beautify the space. Flooring is suggested in terra cotta tile, in keeping with the early architectural history of Florida and its Spanish missions.