   |
  |
|
|
|
The prevalence of modern architecture in recent decades might lead one to believe that there are no longer artisans capable of producing genuine classical architecture and ornamentation. The College has found, however, that there are indeed companies both at home and abroad with the specialized skills needed to make and install the various elements of the classical design of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel. In many cases, their employees are delighted with the rare opportunity this project affords them to use the skills passed down to them from earlier generations. Work is now underway in a variety of locales on some of the traditional design elements of the Chapel, including its limestone façade, bell tower, interior ornamental plaster, and Italian marble. Limestone Façade – Indiana In keeping with the Chapel’s high purpose, an ornate façade has been designed, featuring marble statuary set against columns, cornices, and a balustrade of Indiana limestone. Just under the 6 1/2-foot white marble statue of Our Lady at the top of the façade, there will be a limestone bas-relief of two angels holding the College’s coat of arms, while above the statues of St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas on either side of the entry arch will be circular tondi with the symbols of the saints. The elements of the façade, except for the statues and tondi, are currently being fabricated by the Bybee Stone Company. Located amidst the limestone-rich hills of south central Indiana, the company is able to draw upon the rich deposits of local stone as well as a cultural and artistic tradition which produces some of the finest stone cutters, carvers, and draftsmen in the world. Chosen for its strength, beauty, and durability, Indiana limestone exhibits no grain. It can, therefore, be cut and carved in an almost limitless variety of shapes and sizes. This property allows the stone to be planed, turned on a lathe, sawed, and handworked to match the requirements of the Chapel design. Installation of the façade will be done by Cleveland Marble, Inc. Bell Tower – Utah & Ohio Meanwhile, in Utah, Munn’s Manufacturing is completing the upper, tiered portion of the Chapel’s campanile or bell tower. Founded in 1989, Munn’s manufactures and installs steeples, cupolas, domes, towers, pinnacles, and spires for churches, universities, governments, businesses, and residences. Made from steel-reinforced aluminum, the tower will be painted to appear like stucco and limestone and shipped in pieces to the campus. There a bell will be hung in each tier. The upper tower will then be hoisted by crane into place atop its masonry lower portion. Topped by a ten-foot cross, the whole tower will stand 135 feet above the level of the nave floor. Gifts of the Honorable and Mrs. William P. Clark of Paso Robles, California, the three Chapel bells range in weight from 560 pounds to 1,500 pounds. These antique bells have been restored and equipped by the nation’s preeminent bell manufacturer, The Verdin Company of Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1842, this family-owned and operated business crafts the finest bells, clocks, and carillons, combining old world craftsmanship with new world technology. The Chapel bells will be installed by The Verdin Company and will be rung by ropes from the south vestibule. Decorative Plaster Work – New York Located in the heart of Manhattan, EverGreene Painting Studios, Inc. offers numerous services for conserving, restoring, and replicating all aspects of art in architectural settings: murals, frescoes and fine art; decorative painting; exterior and interior gilding; ornamental plaster; scagliola; mosaics and art glass; metal and wood refinishing; sculpture and statuary; stone cleaning and polishing; wallpaper and draperies. While the bulk of the company’s work involves the restoration of old buildings—in particular, theatres such as the Academy of Music in Philadelphia and the Civic Opera House in Chicago—EverGreene also manufacturers new classic design elements of fiber-glass reinforced plaster. The College has engaged the artisans of EverGreene Studios to produce the elaborate capitals and cornices which will be featured in the areas above the marble columns and pilasters of the Chapel interior. Marble – Italy While these various projects progress here in the United States, marble continues to be quarried in Italy by Savema, a stone fabrication company in Pietrasanta, Lucca, near the originalwhite marble quarries of Carrera once worked bytheancient Romans. In addition to fabricating the above-mentioned columnsand pilasters, Savema is also making other marble elements of the design, including theChapelfloor, which features a multi-colored pattern and the coats of arms of Pope Benedict XVI and the late Pope John Paul II, both of whom have blessed this chapel project. Also to be made of marble are the frame for the Chapel’s bronze entry doors, the nine-foot tabernacle located on the central axis in the sanctuary, the altar, and the bases of the bronze columns of the baldachino. -- Qtrly Newsletter, Spring 2007 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Home | About
| Curriculum
| Campus Life
| News | Admission
|
