What does locus iste a deo factus est mean?

Answer 1

Literally translated, "Locus iste a deo factus est" is Latin for "This place was made by God". This line is taken from the beginning of the gradual for a Mass being said at the dedication of a Church. Anton Bruckner made the line famous when he wrote a choral piece for this exact gradual. He wrote it in 1869 for the dedication of the votive chapel of the cathedral at Linz, Austria.

Sometimes the translation is stylistically rendered to read, "This is the Lord's house, which He hath made" to better emphasize the spirit of the words and their appropriateness to a Church dedication.