Welcome to Thursday Doors, a weekly feature allowing door lovers to come together to admire and share their favorite door photos from around the world. Feel free to join in on the fun by creating your own Thursday Doors post each week and then sharing your link in the comments below, anytime between 12:01 am Thursday morning and Saturday noon (North American eastern time).
I couldn’t find any history for this particular Catholic Church but it is a well known church and the one my mother and I first attended when we arrived in Johannesburg from the UK. I was 1 year old at the time and my mom rented a flat near this area because my aunt, my mom’s sister, lived nearby.
This church is affectionately called the Lemon Squeezer because of its interesting arcitecture.
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roberta-writes.com 
A beautiful/quirky-looking church, Robbie, to have as part of your earliest memories.
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Hi Dave, it is an interesting building and I have fond memories of my Catholic upbringing. I loved Father Muike so much, he made it into my book Through the Nethergate.
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This beautiful church must have been a complicated construction project with all those angles! Now that you pointed it out, yes, it does look like a lemon squeezer.:-)
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Hi Priscilla, It definitely looks like a lemon squeezer. I couldn’t go inside the gates when I took these pictures so there are trees hiding some of the design but it really is quite an amazing structure.
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This reminds me of the RC Cathedral in Liverpool, nicknamed Paddy’s Wigwam!
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that is quite the unusual structure; I am sure it is equally stunning inside…
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Catholic churches are always quite ornate, Jim. I haven’t been inside this one for some time.
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seems like the money would be better spent elsewhere…
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I love all the points in the architecture of this church.
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HI Annette, it is a most interesting design and I my eyes are always drawn to it when I drive past it.
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That’s a beautiful church, Robbie, and very interesting architecture. I have to share a link with you. When I lived in Queens, New York in 1977, I attended The Church of American Martyrs. Take a look at this photo (it’s not mine) https://queensmodern.com/architecturalfirm/john-omalley/john-omalley-church-of-the-american-martyrs-bayside-ny/
Thanks for sharing your memory and for supporting Thursday Doors. I hope you have a chance to relax this weekend.
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Hi Dan, I am trying but I go on leave on 10 December which is not far away. Isn’t it amazing how the NY church has a similar design. I guess there are only a certain number of designs for buildings available.
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I wonder if they were built around the same time.
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It does have an interesting design.
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It is very unusual and a landmark in the area.
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I imagine the light inside is interesting as well. I like the triangular shapes. In design class we learned that the triangle is the strongest and most efficient structural form. (K)
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Hi Kerfe, I do believe I was told that in maths class. From a baking perspective, I find triangles more difficult to assemble than squares or rectangles.
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That seems right to me.
We had to build a stool we could sit on with the fewest coat hangers possible. The triangle based structures were the clear winners there. (That was not me…)
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I love the idiosyncrasy of the architecture on this church. I love the traditional Catholic churches and cathedrals as well, but sometimes it’s fun to have something completely different. : )
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Hi Cathleen, I am a big fan of traditional Catholic churches, especially ancient ones, but this one is interesting in its own right. Thanks for visiting.
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I love interesting architecture, and this definitely qualifies! It makes me wonder what the thought process was creating the plans. 🙂
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I don’t know if you’ve ever read IT by Stephen King, Jacquie. The story features a library with and interesting shape and a glass walkway. This building fascinates one of the child characters, Ben, and it comes back into the story when he is an adult in the book. Strangely, I always remembered that and it always comes into my mind when I look at this church.
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That is a lovely interesting building, bright and welcoming.
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Lovely and unique! Thank you for sharing, Robbie. 😊
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I am glad you found it interesting.
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Beautiful church. We have one in SF that is shaped like a bishop’s mitre but not anything as intricate as this one!
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It sounds lovely, Janet. This design is unusual.
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I can see why the church is called the Lemon Squeezer. I’m partial to the old wood or stone churches. One of my favorites was a very small church off a dirt road in Hereford, Quebec. It was all wood inside, like the inside of an old sailing ship.
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Hi Liz, I also like the old churches, but there are fewer of those here in SA which is a new world country. I do find this design interesting, but I actually think it is quite ugly.
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So, do I–but I wasn’t going to say it!
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Haha [wink]
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😀
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Pretty church, I love the top of it!
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Thank you, Denise. It is unusual.
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Great photos, Robbie. I had to find out more about St. Charles Borromeo (I am fascinated by the life of saints). He was innovative and dedicated – a leading figure of the Counter-Reformation alongside Ignatius of Loyola and Philip Neri. He was the Archbishop of Milan from 1564 to 1584 and a cardinal of the Catholic Church and was responsible for significant reforms in the Catholic Church. I love your posts because they lead to so many important events in history.
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Hi REbecca, thanks for adding this information. I never thought about including the history of the relevant saint. I was reading all about St Andrew last night and his connection to Scotland and the town that bears his name. It’s very interesting how St Andrew becoming the patron saint of Scotland came about and even more interesting that St Andrew’s day is not a generally recognised public holiday in Scotland due to the impact of the Scottish Reformation.
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I love going back into history!! I was looking at posts for the Christmas season for ChasingART and your reminder of St. Andrew reminded me of the St. Andrew Novena. I love our conversations!!!
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Quite distinctive-looking! Unusual architecture and angles for a church.
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Hi Pete, it is a unique building. A landmark in the area.
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What an incredible example of unique architecture, Robbie! Thank you for sharing!
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Hi Jan, I think it is an interesting building and suited this prompt. I’m glad you enjoyed this post.
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Definitely unique architecture, Robbie. I can see how it got its name. Nice memories for you.
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Thank you, Carla. I do have good memories of my childhood.
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It does look like a lemon squeezer – thanks for sharing these, Robbie!
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My pleasure, Barbara.
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I had to chuckle at “the lemon squeezer.” Lol. It fits, Robbie. Thanks for the fun door post, sharing a few of your memories, and the laughs.
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HI Diana, I am glad you enjoyed this post. I enjoy this church every time I drive past it.
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A beautiful and unique structure I can definitely see the resemblance to a lemon squeezer… an architect with a quirky eye for the unusual…smile x
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Hi Carol, yes, an adventurous architect to be sure.
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