Christ the King Chapel, Shrine of Our Lady of the Snows

Update: See more of the mosaics in this post from February of 2021.

The Christ the King Chapel sits one floor below the Mary Chapel, and since the shrine is built into a natural amphitheater, opens onto a back parking lot. The decorative scheme seems to show the Stations of the Cross. I am not certain, but the repeating “eye” shaped motif might look back to the medieval mandorla, which often surrounded Christ, utilized first at Santa Maria Maggiore, which interestingly enough is the site of the Miracle of Our Lady of the Snows. Coincidence?

The glass and mosaics are beautiful, and as I have said before, Modernism works well with a more Paleo-Christian decorative scheme: simple faith and composition in stark contrast to the complexity of the Renaissance or ancient world.

The stained glass below is from the Mary Chapel, but it’s so stunning I had to capture it again in a photo.

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