Resurrection Chapel in Washington National Cathedral
From great cathedrals to monastery grounds, sacred sites throughout Washington, D.C., provide the setting for beautiful religious mosaic works in a wide range of styles. Mosaic artist and educator Bonnie Fitzgerald leads a tour that covers the city and mosaic art representing nearly 125 years of creation.
The country’s largest Catholic place of worship, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, recalls Romanesque and Byzantine churches. Its mosaics reflect artistic traditions from ancient to modern and include soaring decorated vaulted ceilings, ornate arches, and windows of alabaster inlaid with geometric designs in gold smalti.
The nearby St. John Paul National Shrine showcases several noteworthy installations including a large Mater Ecclesiae mosaic created by the Vatican mosaic studio, a large 24 karat-gold Marian cross designed and fabricated by Fitzgerald, and stunning and unusual mosaics in the Redemptor Hominis Chapel designed by artists at Rome’s Centro Aletti, founded by St. John Paul. Another neighboring site in Brookland, the Mount St. Sepulchre Franciscan Monastery, contains a number of mosaics on its grounds.
Washington National Cathedral houses both stained glass and mosaic artwork installations. Visit the Resurrection Chapel, which contains a large mosaic designed by noted art deco artist Hildreth Meiere and mosaics by Rowan and Irene LeCompte. Rowan LeCompte designed and fabricated many of the cathedral’s stained glass windows. In the shadow of the cathedral, Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral is designed in the traditional Byzantine style. The interior walls and ceiling are covered in stone, glass, and gold mosaics, including many depictions of saints and other sacred images.
A 3-course lunch at Busboys and Poets is included.
World Art History Certificate elective: Earn 1/2 credit
