A different kind of trinity is emerging at Saskatoon’s newest cathedral, where the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon is combining art, technology and faith in a stunning and environmentally friendly project.
The Holy Family Catholic Church, a $28.5-million cathedral under construction in Saskatoon’s northeast, will feature solar cells embedded into the large stained glass windows that will be installed this spring.
The cathedral could be the first church in North American to use solar cells in a stained glass installation (the University of British Columbia used the combination at a library), said cathedral building committee chair Jim Nakoneshny.
"It’s an art installation, but being able to incorporate energy collecting methods is a way to show sustainability can be done without it being an ugly feature on the building," he said.
Toronto-based artist Sarah Hall used 54 panels to create three large sections -the largest of which is 13.3 metres tall by 3.2 metres wide -representing the Prairie sky.
Bright red, orange and blue colours swirl around white bursts of light on the panels, which will be installed high on the south side of the cathedral.
Hall, who is known for her stained glassworks at religious institutions around the world, had the panels fabricated at a studio in Germany. Once made, about 1,000 photovoltaic cells were embedded in the panels.
The marriage of art and faith in Roman Catholic architecture is common, Nakoneshny said.
"The artistic element is always something we look for in a project," he said.
"If you look back in the history of the church, there’s a long-standing tradition of trying to bring beauty to the form of a building. It ensures that what we’re creating celebrates the glory of God’s creation."
The 65,000-square-foot cathedral, to be located behind St. Joseph High School, will hold the offices for the Roman Catholic diocese parish centre, meeting spaces, libraries, classrooms and bedrooms, and provide seating for about 1,200 people.
Nakoneshny said the project is on budget and on time. He expects the cathedral to open its door in November.
The Saskatoon cathedral’s use of solar energy isn’t new to the Catholic Church. In 2008, the Catholic Church replaced roof tiles on a Vatican auditorium with 2,700 solar panels.
The glass and solar cells -from conception to installation -will cost the Saskatoon diocese about $675,000, but the money for the project came from special donations and not the cathedral’s construction budget, Nakoneshny said.
The diocese hasn’t calculated how much money might be saved from using solar energy in the cathedral. The panels will annually collect enough energy to power five homes for a year.
The energy created isn’t large, but it will help offset electrical costs at the new cathedral, said project manager Michael Lux.
The stained glass has been shipped to Canada and the diocese expects to install the work sometime in April.
"The windows are huge, they’re beautiful and unique, and as a result they’re a chore to install," Lux said.
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