Romanesque churches favor large plain spaces connected with very rich ones.... The center of the church rises higher than the sides, to an unbroken flat ceiling. At the [east] end of the church is a flat wall, with a slight sunken space arched at the top, back of the preacher. This gives an advantage at once in a reality of modeling, which, in a meager way, is the recall of an apse. In front stands the reading-desk, ugly in detail and color, but the general line of which is not bad, and suggests the ambo of Byzantine art. Now, on these two forms-the ambo and the arched recess behind-I base my decoration. As the church has pillars, with arches resting on them, behind which are the side galleries, there is sufficient recall of all early round arch buildings to make me lean to some Romanesque or Byzantine style ... it was determined to retain the wood-work-pews and that sort of thing-and [these are] very ugly and poorly colored. Therefore, my decoration must be such that it will not call attention to this ugliness. Consequently, my large, plain spaces are placed near the wood, and my fine ornament goes higher up. - John La Farge