Beeton's Etiguette, 1876 - Courtesy of the British Library, Shelfmark 8404.bb.6

The Victorians carefully chose wood species, colors, and decorative motifs to suit interiors. Masculine spaces typically sported deep colors, dark woods, and gold leaf. These would be applied to billiard rooms, smoking rooms, and a man’s study. Outside the home, the masculine order is present in churches dedicated to male saints, meeting houses and clubs, and even pubs.

Gold is associated with Helios, the Greek god of the sun, or Apollo, often given the epithet phoebus meaning bright and later associated with the sun. Gold was generally understood to be a masculine metal, though it was often applied wherever aesthetically appropriate. Dark wood like ebony, walnut, and mahogany and rich colors are meant to broadly convey the Victorian understanding of masculinity: strong, bold, and almost sporting.

On the other hand, feminine spaces typically had a lighter palette in both color and wood species. Drawing rooms, bedrooms, powder rooms, and tea rooms are adorned in birds eye maple and birch, as well as softer colors. Silver leaf is associated with femininity for complimentary reasons to gold. Selene, the Greek goddess of the moon, and Artemis (or the Roman name Diana), goddess of the hunt and Apollo’s twin sister, are both associated with silver and thus the metal is categorized with the feminine. Feminine spaces therefore are meant to convey the Victorian understanding of femininity: elegant, subtle, and slightly mysterious.

Just as women take on a variety of roles in life, in the myths of antiquity, and in Scripture, so too are the churches dedicated to female saints varied. Two examples of the range in decoration are the Shrine of St. Anne in Waterbury, CT and Our Lady Help of Christians in Newton, MA.

The Shrine of St. Anne is unlike many churches of its day. It was built in 1922 by the French-Canadian community in Waterbury but kept with Victorian conventions of decoration. Few churches are named for St. Anne to start and few have decoration as beautiful as this church. Named for the patron saint of mothers, it ought to take on a unique character that communicates the warmth, strength, and guidance that mothers possess. But, it too was a victim of whitewashing following two fires and no funds or knowledge to repair the interior.

Uncovered first in 2013 then further restored in 2026, the shrine showcases a bright palette of peach, tan, and silver, all carefully contrasted with red and a dusty blue. Silver stands out against the warm base colors without competing with the artwork or beautiful furniture. The artwork matches the color palette by use of mostly pastels and carefully placed roundels, panels in the sanctuary, and a triangular panel commanding attention in the center of the apse. The interior is a masterful example of well-placed contrast, from the window tracery against the bright walls to the decoration framing the original pure white high altar.

Though it remains incomplete in the nave and crossing, this shrine to the patron saint of mothers is a beautiful testament to Victorian and the 1920’s community dedication to traditional decoration and beauty for the sake of uplifting the faithful and the patron of a church.

Built in 1878 and named for the mother of God, queen of Heaven, and strength of Christians, Our Lady Help of Christians in Newton, MA keeps the palette soft but still very regal. The base color of the nave is a warm tan with decoration in pink, light green, and a very soft brown. The vault shafts are stenciled with a base of a powdery blue that provides a gentle contrast against the tan walls and ceiling. The patterns are predominantly elegant florals in soft tones and punctuate a good deal of negative space. The lack of decoration in some areas highlights the delicate patterns and beautiful murals.

The sanctuary contrasts the rest of the interior as it is strong and noble like its namesake but has a slightly masculine quality to it. The rich, deep red pattern behind the altars is lined with different patterns – the one at the high altar being far more complex and vivid. The massive mural above the high altar crowns the space with an image of the Crucifixion, outlined with a floral pattern on a silver field. This dominant apse artwork, contrasting the pure white high altar, immediately catches your eye while the softer details support it and the architecture.

This church is therefore reflective of Mary’s several roles: as queen of Heaven in its regality and use of gold, mother of God in its warmth of color, and help of Christians in its lifted architecture and balance of contrast. Just as a mother would try to focus a fidgeting child at mass, the design here gently points us towards the altar. Should you be distracted anyway, there is artwork of the saints all facing the altar in the nave and a sprawling, Edenic garden high above you. This all serves the Marian devotion, the architecture, and the basics of what we need to understand about Mary in the Catholic Church.

What makes this cathedral a decidedly masculine space are the earthy but vivid colors and the more geometric rather than overtly floral patterns. This era of church decoration is well known for patterns that use flattened tracings of plants and geometry instead of asymmetrical or organic forms like the feminine decoration we saw earlier. Bands of gold on the columns, patterns on the wall, and even the stained glass all have patterns inspired by natural forms, but are two-dimensional and abstracted.

As good decoration often does, the colors support both the human-level architecture and the massive scale of the room. This space feels grand, bold, and soaring. It inspires humility just as St. Patrick was humble, and it guides your attention towards the focal point of all Catholic churches: the tabernacle.

St. John the Evangelist in Clinton, MA takes the visual cues to the next level with rich decoration and fine artwork. Its bold, original 1886 colors often associated with St. John in classical art are classic examples of this period.

The church follows the same design basics as St. Patrick’s: rich reds and browns, geometric patterns, and carefully chosen gold accents. It balances geometric patterns, flourishes of organic forms, and figural artwork well, especially in the ceiling. Large patterns embellish the architecture, while angels on clouds occupy the negative space in the crossing and flowers freely spread across the nave and transepts.

This church is covered in decoration, but somehow feels balanced and harmonized. This Victorian ability to seamlessly integrate scores of patterns and colors was possible by their careful use of color and order. No wall or panel, however flat, lacks beauty that is so intentional it is worthy of study all on its own. Yet despite this confluence of pattern, your eye always drifts back to the pure white altar glowing against its red backdrop. Just as St. John spread the word of Christ, so the church dedicated to him teaches us about Christ. As a father would, the instructive murals, the safeguarding statues of saints and angels, and the bold color palette strengthens us and the architecture and provides for the visitor beauty and knowledge. 

In an era fraught with societal upheaval and industrialization, the churches of Victorian England and the United States were meant to be havens of order and peace. Their designs unique to the ideals of femininity and masculinity offered clarity to visitors in a time where the fabric of empires and social classes was being questioned. The value of a space visually set apart in its beauty offers us a haven from whatever troubles lie outside or within and the strength to confront them. No matter our opinion of the Victorian designers, we are blessed to exist in a time when their churches still stand and their beauty has been studied, understood, and faithfully replicated.

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