Sentimental Church (Record) Sunday: St. Vincent de Paul, Chicago: Interior, Main Altar

Four weeks ago I wrote about the exterior of St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Chicago, where my Massmann great-grandparents, Frederick Henry Massmann, 1875-1948, and Elizabeth Regina Dienes Massmann, 1876-1946, were married on June 5, 1900.  Three weeks ago I started writing about the interior, specifically, the stained glass windows; continuing the next week and last week.

This week I am writing about the main, or high, altar of the church.  Here's a view in its entirety (click on all photos to make them larger):

This gorgeous marble altar was designed by Augustine O'Callahan and was installed in 1909 (so, not there when my great-grandparents married).  It is made with eight different types of marble. 

The tabernacle, pictured below, is free-standing (i.e., not part of the reredos or altar panels behind it.

Above:  The upper part of the taberbacle,with the reredo behind it.

Below:  One of the angels guarding the tabernacle.

Left panel (above) and right panel (below) of the reredo behind the main altar.

Above and below:  The Last Supper pictured in the center panel of the reredo behind the altar, directly above and behind the tabernacle.

Even the lower part of the main altar is quite intricate - note the Lamb of God in the center below:

Above and below:  Tile mosaics in the lower part with (mostly) concealed lighting.

Above and below:  Angels to the left and right of the main (high) altar.

Below:  carving at the base of the one of the large angel statues, that includes acanthus leaves and passion flowers, as well as the letters IHS, which are a Christogram, a monogram symbolizing Jesus Christ.   According to Heavenly City: The Architectural Tradition of Catholic Chicago, by Denis Robert McNamara, much of the foliage carvings were done by Carl Beil, who also sculpted for the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893.

Here is one last look at the whole altar.  Next week, I will write about some of the smaller altars around the church.

© Amanda Pape - 2018 - click here to e-mail me.