The Interior
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"Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel will
be a beautiful addition to your campus and a wonderful setting
for the worship and prayer that are the heart of Catholic
education."
- Most Rev. Alexander J. Brunett
Archbishop of Seattle
February 4, 2009
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The Nave
Modeled after those in early Christian basilicas, the nave of Our
Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel is relatively narrow yet dramatically
high. This configuration emphasizes the prominence of the altar
and tabernacle and the transcendence of God. On either side of the
nave are seven arches, which symbolize the seven sacraments, the
seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, the seven dolors of the Blessed
Mother, her seven joys, and the three theological and four natural
virtues.
Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel's vaulted ceiling magnifies
the elevation of the nave and represents the vault of heaven. The
Chapel's windows are translucent, allowing the building to be filled
with the sun's radiance, reminding us of the light of heaven. A
wide blue, marbleized band, honoring the Blessed Mother, lines the
clerestory.
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Above the interior of the Chapel's main doors is a statue
of Our Lady, Seat of Wisdom, flanked by two angels. Below
is the inscription quodcumque dixerit vobis facite,
the instruction the Blessed Mother gave to the wedding servers
in Cana: "Do whatever He tells you" (John 2:5).
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The seven arches on each side of the nave together
provide ideal framing for the 14 travertine Stations of the Cross
that line the Chapel's side aisles. Each Station is an ornate, rectangular
relief vividly recounting a scene from Our Lord's passion and death.
Member Emeritus of the Thomas Aquinas College Board of Governors
Ed Mills rescued these 90-year-old Stations in 1996 from a decommissioned
church in Milwaukee. The church's name - "St. Thomas Aquinas."
The Chapel's confessionals are made from the same mahogany as
its pews and ambo. Above the north confessional is the inscription
quorum remiseritis peccata remittuntur eis, "Whose sins you
shall forgive, they are forgiven them" (John 20:23). The inscription
above the south confessional reads venite ad me omnes et ego reficiam
vos, "Come to me all you (who labor and are burdened), and
I will give you rest" (Matt. 11:28).
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Like those in many of the great churches of
Europe, Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel's pews
lack the heavy ends that are more common in American churches.
They also have an open back, giving greater visibility to
the Chapel's marble floor.
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The Dome
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"The faculty, staff and students, as well as
the benefactors of the College, should be justifiably proud
of the magnificent edifce that has been built for the glory
of God, and as an enduring symbol of the heart and soul of
Thomas Aquinas College."
- His Eminence Renato Raffaele Cardinal Martino
President of the Pontifical Council for Justice & Peace
January 27, 2009
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The Evangelists
"In front of the throne there is something
like a sea of glass, like crystal. Around the throne, and on each
side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front
and behind: the first living creature like a lion, the second living
creature like an ox, the third living creature with a face like
a human face, and the fourth living creature like a flying eagle.
. . . Day and night without ceasing they sing, 'Holy, holy, holy,
the Lord God the Almighty, who was and is and is to come.'"
- Rev. 4:6-8
Christian tradition has long associated the four evangelists with
the four "living creatures" that surround God's throne
in the Book of Revelation. In Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity
Chapel, each of the four Gospel writers is depicted with his traditional
symbol on the pendentives that sustain the dome, just as the four
Gospels sustain the Church.
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St. Mark is shown as a lion, as his Gospel
begins with St. John the Baptist, whose booming voice in the
wilderness was like that of a roaring lion (Mark 1:2-8). Often
regarded as a symbol of monarchy and courage, the lion also
represents Christ's kingship as well as His bold command at
the conclusion of St. Mark's Gospel to "Go into all the
world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation"
(Mark 16:15).
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St. Luke is shown as an ox, as
his Gospel both begins and ends in the Temple of Jerusalem,
where the priest would sacrifice oxen and other animals. The
symbol also speaks to the sacrifice of Christ and His royal
priesthood. |
| St. Matthew is shown with a human
face, as his Gospel begins with Christ's human genealogy (Matt.
1:1-17), representing both Our Lord's Incarnation and His human
nature. |
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St. John is shown as an eagle,
as His Gospel begins with a soaring hymn to Christ, the Incarnate
Logos (John 1:1-18). The eagle also represents Our Lord's
Ascension and His divine nature. |
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Encircling the interior of the dome are the words the Archangel
Gabriel spoke to the Virgin Mary at the Annunciation: spiritus
sanctus superveniet in te et virtus altissimi obumbrabit tibi quod
enim ex te nascetur sanctum vocabitur filius dei, "The
Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will
overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy,
the Son of God" (Luke 1:35).
| Following a centuries-old tradition in sacred
architecture, a dove - a symbol of the Holy Spirit - hovers
in the ceiling of the lantern that tops Our Lady of the Most
Holy Trinity Chapel's dome. |
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The Transepts
The pilasters that encase the northern and southern shrines in
the transepts of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel are made
from Turkish Rosso Laguna marble. This is the same kind of stone
from which the altar in the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels
in Los Angeles was fashioned, signifying Thomas Aquinas College's
loyalty to the seat of the Archdiocese and its bishop.
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transepts' four shrines contain replicas of classical paintings
of key moments in Salvation or Church History. (See photos on the
following page.) In the two shrines beside the sanctuary are paintings
that either portray or symbolize the three Persons of the Holy Trinity.
To the south is the Annunciation, with the infant Jesus descending
from God the Father in the presence of a dove, representative of
the Holy Spirit. To the north is St. John's baptism of the Lord,
with "the heavens being torn open and the Spirit, like a dove,
descending upon Him," and the Father's voice coming down from
above (Mark 1:9-11).
The painting in the northernmost shrine recounts the temptation
of St. Thomas Aquinas and is located on the side of the building
that, appropriately, faces St. Thomas Hall. The painting recalls
the story of how Thomas' brothers, angry over his entering the Dominican
Order, hired a temptress in an effort to defile his purity. She
is shown fleeing after St. Thomas has rebuked her, while angels
bind him with the girdle of chastity.
Finally, the art in the Chapel's southernmost shrine depicts St.
Teresa of Avila - a Doctor of the Church known for her devotion
to the Blessed Sacrament - receiving Holy Communion. It hangs on
the wall that separates the Chapel from the prayer garden outside,
where there stands a statue of St. Thérèse of Lisieux,
who chose St. Teresa as her patroness and namesake.
The Shrines
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"The Annunciation with God the Father"
(1615-1620)
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"Baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist"
(1698)
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"The Temptation of St. Thomas Aquinas."
(1631-1632)
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"Teresa of Avila Receiving Communion"
(1683)
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