Spring Stained Glass Tour
April 21, 2013 |
Dedicated to women saints who lived at widely separated times, three Catholic churches with markedly different architectural and stained glass styles will be
highlights of the next Stained Glass Art in Sacred Places tour, a project of the Stained Glass Art in Sacred Places Committee of the Preservation Resource Center. The bus tour will begin at 2 p.m. at Mater Dolorosa and will end at 5 p.m. at Mater Dolorosa after a reception at the St. Katharine Drexel Chapel. Please bring your binoculars.
First on the tour is Mater Dolorosa Church. The interior of the 1908 building is decorated with ceiling paintings, geometric mosaic trim, columns with gilt Corinthian capitals, and detailed, brightly colored stained glass of the Munich style. The glass is usually attributed to the Emil Frei firm in St. Louis, a studio that has been popular in the New Orleans area for almost a century, on the basis of style and the high quality of the painting.
The next stop on the tour is St. Agnes Church. The interior of the church interprets religious art and architecture with a quiet, uncluttered elegance, full of light and harmony. The windows emphasize basic tenets of the faith and reiterate the story of the martyrdom of St. Agnes, around 300 A.D. Statuary of bright white marble, with translucent onyx heads, is striking.
The final church on the tour is the St. Katharine Drexel Chapel, on the campus of Xavier University. César Pelli, designer of the chapel and recipient of the American Institute of Architects’ Gold Medal and the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, explained, “this building embodies Drexel’s traits of modesty, simplicity and spirituality.” Another goal for the architect was to create an uplifting feeling for worshipers. The roof rises gently from the entrance to the front, creating what the university describes as a “sense of lifting into the heavens.” Because of a unique interior canopy, the interior lighting responds to changes in natural light.
Tickets are $16 for PRC members, $20 for non-members, and $25 day of tour. Contact the PRC at (504) 581-7032 to reserve your place on the bus tour.
ABOUT PRC
Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans (PRC) was founded in 1974 as a non-profit organization to promote the preservation, restoration and revitalization of New Orleans’ historic architecture and neighborhoods. The organization has helped renovate more than 1,000 homes citywide by involving citizens in preservation projects and services that enhance living in New Orleans. PRC provides resources and education to convey the economic, cultural and aesthetic importance of historic preservation in New Orleans and throughout the world.
|
Website:
www.prcno.org/events |
| |
| Location Information |
|
Mater Dolorosa Church |
1228 South Carrollton Avenue
New Orleans, LA 70118 |
| |
| Contact Information |
|
Averil Oberhelman |
| Email:
aoberhelman@prcno.org |
| Phone:
504-636-3040 |
|