Is there a better way to spend a Sunday morning than waking up before 8 a.m., chipping a layer of ice off your car, and trekking to South Philly? The Project thinks not! Well, ok, that’s not exactly true. But when a parish only has a 9:30 a.m. mass, you need to make sacrifices. Fortunately, I don’t have much of a social life, so it was easy to do.
Boy, I need help.
But enough about me! Let’s talk about St. Charles Borromeo, which continues South Philly’s tradition of good, but not quite great, parishes. St. Charles is nicer than some of the duds we’ve seen. The scheme here is mostly Italian Renaissance, as evidenced by the use of a flat roof, Corinthian-style pilasters, Doric-order cornice moldings and semi-circular arches along the windows. Unfortunately, most of the plaster is unadorned, and the mural work is solid if unimpressive. It’s certainly not in the same league as Baroque kings Thomas Aquinas or Peter the Apostle.
But you know what? It’s still very pretty. There’s tremendous marble work in and around the sanctuary, particularly the main altar itself, which is one of the more impressive we’ve seen. The red, gold and white color scheme is also nifty. And it boasts a terrific organ that—wait for it—actually has its own lighting system.
LOOK FOR IT: The balcony, which is one of the old-school models that starts at the back and stretches along the sides to the front. We’ve only seen it a couple of times, most notably in St. Michael and St. Augustine.
It’s not the biggest or the most ornate, but sometimes there’s something charming about an unassuming, understated design. This is one of those times.
Size Rating: 8 out of 10
Ornamentation Rating: 8 out of 10
Overall Design Rating: 8 out of 10 crosses.
