[throw0101a]

> I mean, it's not my fandom, but Catholics do have a wicked sense of symbolism and decoration.

Catholics (and other denominations too) consider the three transcendentals to be Truth, Goodness, and Beauty, which are all natures of God†:

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcendentals

This philosophical/theological thinking goes back to (at least) the Middle Ages:

* https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/transcendentals-medieval/

So the fact that "decoration" would be present is unsurprisingly, as Beauty in this reality can help to lead to greater reality of Truth and Goodness as well. It's why there have long been traditions with art, music, architecture, etc, in Catholic culture.

† God is Truth, God is Goodness (itself), and God is Beauty. (God is Love as well.)