This session will explore the spiritual, aesthetic, and social meaning of some historical trends and battles in the design of Western houses of worship. We’ll look, for example, at why some synagogue sanctuaries have a bema in the center while others put the cantor or rabbi on a stage at the front. And we’ll ask why many churches are moving their liturgical focus from the front to an area that they call a bema. Designing sacred space, as we’ll see with words and pictures, is no simple thing.
