ABSTRACT
The devotional functions of churches were frequently important in their design and remained significant throughout the period studied here. The emphasis on the liturgical movement in writing on church architecture at the time and since has tended to obscure this feature of post-war church architecture, a highly distinctive aspect of Roman Catholic culture in post-war Britain. The liturgical movement contrasted the liturgy with popular devotions, which were viewed as motivated by individual piety and sentiment more than reason or doctrine. Many devotional events took place in and around church buildings built by clergy specifically to accommodate them and formed an important part of the architect's brief. The 'Instruction on the Worship of the Eucharistic Mystery' advised that 'devotion, both private and public, toward the sacrament of the altar even outside Mass is strongly advocated by the Church, since the Eucharistic sacrifice is the source and summit of the whole Christian life'.
