St. Louis Cathedral Basilica – St. Louis, Missouri
1) NARTHEX. This gathering place is a fine example of Byzantine style art and architecture The lower wall is buff marble to symbolize earth. The mosaic panels above are paved with a series of scenes about the life of Saint Louis IX, King of France (1214-1270), patron saint of the city. The barrel vaulted ceiling is covered by a swirling green vine symbolic of Christ, who is also portrayed in the central mo saic as “Teacher” or “Pantocrator”.
2) THE HISTORIC BAY AND DOME. The great seal of the Archdiocese of St. Louis on a dark blue background and surrounded with the stars of the heavens is the dominant mosaic. The round dome mounted on the square space of the bay is supported by inverted triangular walls called pendentives. The four areas are covered with mosaics of American saints; Rose Philippine Duchesne (SE), Elizabeth Seton (SW), Mother Cabrini (NW), and Isaac Jogues and the North American martyrs (NE). The south soffit or under-arch notes important milestones of the establishment of the Catholic Church in St. Louis, the first mass, first baptism, and the seal of the city. The east soffit is dedicated to the works of charity of communities of sisters and brothers. The north soffit tells of the founding and work of the St. Vincent de Paul Society in the United States. The west soffit portrays the orders of dedicated teachers of St. Louis parochial schools. The east lunette, or half round wall, speaks to the work of Joseph Cardinal Ritter in desegregating the parochial schools of St. Louis and the presentation of the Declaration of Religious Liberty of Vatican II. The west lunette depicts the Jesuit missionary thrust on the frontier by Frs. Jean Marquette and Pierre DeSmet, and the on-going St. Louis mission in Bolivia, South America. The brilliant blue cor-nice with the vine of Christ behind the Byzantine style angels proclaiming the eight Beatitudes was installed in 1927.
3) THE CENTRAL DOME. A heavenly vision on a background of brilliant red rises 143 feet from the floor to the central spotlight, symbolic of the power of God’s love. The mosaic panels are dedicated to the Holy Trinity (N), Ezeckial the Prophet (E) receiving the word of God, the woman of the Apocalypse (S) and Elias (W) taken up to heaven in the fiery chariot. At the base of the dome is a rippling wave symbolic of the dome of water, which according to Genesis, separates heaven and earth. The sixteen angels represent eight archangels and eight commemorative angels. Each angel has a constellation of stars at its leet. The four large angels of the pendentives depict the Old Testament (NE), New Testament (NW), Ecclesiastical authority (SW) and civil authority (SE). The east arch has God, the Creator, as its central figure, flanked by the story of creation The north arch is the Arch of Triumph with Christ the Savior, as its central motit John the Baptist is on his left with the prophets and kings of the Old Testament and the Virgin Mary is on His right with apostles and saints of the New Testament. The west arch, the Arch of Sanctification, is dedicated to the Third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit and the saints, doctors, and teachers of the Church. The south Arch of judgment tells the story of the last day from the souls rising from the dead, to Christ’s judgment, to the souls condemned are passing through ice, symbolic of the lack of love.
4) THE WEST TRANSEPT. The west soffit contains images of Jesus baptism and Ascension to heaven. The transept mosaic, rendered in flaming colors of red, violet and blue pictures the occasion of the Holy Spirit’s descent on the apostles inspiring then to go forth and preach the Word of God. The fourteen stations of the cross are mounted on the plain lower walls of the est and west transepts above the confessionals.
5) THE EAST TRANSEPT. The east transept portrays Christ’s resurrection and His appearance to the wom an, Mary, and His disciples at Emma. The mosaic on the soffit or underarch of the raising of Lazarus from the dead is symbolic of Jesus resurrection. The baptismal font and ambry for the Holy Chis are located in the east transept.
6) THE SANCTUARY DOME. Mosaics picture the twelve apostles bearing symbols of their lives. The four pendentive mosaics are images of fout doctors or teachers of the church, St. Cyril of Alexandria and St. John Chysostom of the Eastern rite and St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Ambrose of the Western rite. The south soffit, completed in 1927, contains mosaics of the priesthood of the Old and New Testaments. The east soffit mosaics are Old Testament prototypes of the Sacrifice of Jesus. The east lunette repeats the Old Testament theme in the portrayal of the Passover feast. The north wall of the Cathedral is pierced by a brilliant red stained glass window containing a gold cross surrounded with the crown of thorns. The mosaic arch around the window pictures the deer of Psalm 42 which “long for the water as we long for the Lord” The west soffit, designed by St. Louisan Robert Harmon, depicts the fulfillment of the Old Testament in the nativity and marriage feast of Cana mosaics. The west wall, completing the New Testament theme, is a portrayal of the Last Supper after the DaVinci fresco in the refectory in the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy. The large structure over the main altar is the “baldachino” whose top dome imitates the main exterior dome of the Cathedral. The white marble figure of Christ crucified dominates the sanctuary. The bishop’s chair, or “cathedra,” is on the west side of the sanctuary. It is this chair that makes of this church a “cathedral.”
7) THE BLESSED SACRAMENT CHAPEL. Housing the tabernacle, this chapel is reserved as a place for private prayer. The mosaic panels here depict various aspects of the gift of Eucharist. The red color of the ambulatory ceiling and the angels holding instruments of torture recall the suffering of Christ.
8) THE BISHOPS HALL. This hall contains Italian style mosaics of the coats of arms of the men who have served as bishops and archbishops of the St. Louis diocese.
9) THE BLESSED VIRGIN’S CHAPEL. Created by Tiffany Company of New York in the Italian style, this chapel contains mosaic panels depicting Mary’s Presentation, Annunciation, Visitation to Elizabeth, and the Assumption.
10) THE ALL SAINTS CHAPEL. Also the work of Louis Comfort Tiffany, this chapel is dedicated to the early classification of saints as either apostles, confessors, martyrs or virgins.
11) ALL SOULS CHAPEL. Designed in the Viennese Reconstructionist architectural style, this chapel uses black marble to symbolize death and white marble to symbolize resurrection or eternal life. The statue is of the Risen Christ. The chapel is over the burial place for Cardinal Glennon, Cardinal Ritter, Cardinal Carberry and Archbishop May who have served as leaders of the St. Louis Church. Cardinals Glennon, Ritter and Carberry’s hat (gallero) hang above their burial place.
Glossary of Terms
ambulatory – The walkway surrounding the apse or choir section.
ambry – The repository for consecrated oils. Also called an olearium. In the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis, the ambry is located near the baptismal font in the east transept.
apse – The section of the cathedral that usually contains the altar. It is often shaped like a semicircle and traditionally faces east. (The apse of the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis faces north.)
baldacchino or baldachin – There are numerous spelling for this word, but they all mean the same thing – a canopy covering the altar.
capital – The top of a column.
cathedra – Literally a chair and the source of the word “cathedral.” This chair is located in the sanctuary and is used exclusively by the Archbishop.
fascia – A flat surface that covers the ends of beams or other supporting structures.
lunette – Half-moon shaped sections frequently seen at the base of vaulted roofs.
narthex – The vestibule or lobby.
nave – The main section of a cathedral or church, facing the altar.
ombrellino – An umbrella-like device embroidered with mottos and crests. Its presence, along with the tintinnabulum, signifies the basilica status of the Cathedral Basilica.
pendentive – A triangular structure that supports a dome. In the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis, the pendentives of the Central Dome feature huge spread-winged angels.
portal – Main door. The Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis is typical of most in that is has three main front portals, symbolizing the Holy Trinity.
soffit – The underside of an arch or balcony.
tessera – A thin slab of glass or tile which is shaped into pieces that make up a mosaic. Most often used in its plural, which is tesserae.
tintinnabulum – Ceremonial bell which is symbolic of a basilica. See ombrellino.
triptych – A piece of art consisting of three panels, usually a larger central panel with two smaller side panels. Often seen in altarpieces, the triptychs of the Cathedral Basilica grace the walls of the All Saints Chapel and Our Lady’s Chapel.
transept – If the nave and apse constitute the long beam of a cross, the transepts make up the crossbar. These are large “bays” that extend from either side of the nave. In the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis, they feature large mosaic-covered half domes.