Is a church built based only on architectural principles?

R. Schwarz¹¹⁸³ thinks of the construction of a church building as a holy act that should not be founded purely on architectural bases but also on the holy orthodox faith. For this reason, those who are working on these projects should themselves be living members of the

1181 Cf. Pastor of Hermas (or Shepherd of Hermas) 1.2.4 (ANF 2:12).

1182 St. Irenaeus of Lyon, Against Heresies 5.32.2, 5.34.1 (ANF 1:561, 563).

1183 See Fr. Tadros Yacoub Malaty, The Church, the House of God , rev., Nabieh Fanous, Riad Habib, Nermine Morcos, Mary Hanna, and Lilian Hanna (Sporting, Alexandria: St. George’s Coptic Orthodox Church, 1994).

Church, who walk in the Spirit. It is befitting for them to be living stones, built on the foundation of the living Christ, in the true apostolic spirit, so that their project may bear the same spirit. Just as the priest is sanctified in his priestly work and the theologian in his studies, those who build God’s house must sanctify themselves and be prepared for this holy project under the guidance of the Holy Spirit Himself.