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Date of Award

5-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Architecture

College

Arts and Sciences

Department

Architecture

Faculty Advisor

Stephen Wischer

Studio Coordinator

Stephen Wischer

Faculty Chair

Susan Kliman

Publisher

North Dakota State University

Rights

NDSU policy 190.6.2

URI

https://www.ndsu.edu/fileadmin/policy/190.pdf

Abstract

Throughout history, transcendental meaning has been woven into the very fabric of architecture to awaken and attune our souls toward a greater understanding of the inherent, unquantifiable aspects of life. Design elements such as light, material, proportion, and mystery were used as communicators of meaning rather than merely tools of utility. However, with the rise of positivism in the modern period, many transcendental elements of design were disregarded in favor of a more functionalist approach. The strategies employed by this approach influenced much of modern religious architecture and have resulted in many churches that lack the fundamental principle they claim to uphold: namely, that there is more to life than what is quantifiable and observable. This project seeks to address these concerns through the context of a Catholic monastery, which will also serve as a place of pilgrimage to the site of Minnesota’s first theoretical saint.

Monastic Design: Recovering the Sacred

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