Sentimental Church (Record) Sunday: St. Vincent de Paul, Chicago: Interior, Decorative Painting

Six 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.  Five weeks ago I started writing about the interior, specifically, the stained glass windows; continuing the next two weeks.  Two weeks ago I wrote about the main altar, and last week I wrote about the side altars and other statues in the church.

This week I am writing about the decorative painting in the church.  According to pages 22-23 of Heavenly City: The Architectural Tradition of Catholic Chicago, by Denis Robert McNamara, "An extensive decorative painting program executed by the prolific ecclesiastical painter John A. Mallin [this Czech immigrant also decorated St. Jerome in Rogers Park] once filled the entire interior with patterns and images, the vestiges of which still grace the sanctuary apse ceiling [pictured below]."  It's not stated why the rest of the paintings are gone, but the same 1955 fire in the south end of the church that resulted in a new choir loft stained glass window likely destroyed them.  An image of how the church looked before the fire is available on a website about John Mallin.

Above and (detail) below:  Decorative painting in sanctuary ceiling of St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, Chicago.  Click on the images to make them larger.

According to that website, Mallin was hired to do these paintings in 1946, and was paid $20,000 for the work.  He is also responsible for four murals at the front of the church, two each over the two side altars.  I was able to use some clues in the murals to figure out what they depict.  Click on each image to make it larger.

Starting from the left as you look toward the altars, this first one is on the west wall above the left side altar to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God.  Jesus Christ is holding out the Red Scapular of the Passion to a nun who has a distinctive hat.  That hat, a cornette, is a mark of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul, an order founded by this church's namesake and St. Louise de Marillac.  The nun pictured though is Sister Louise-Apolline-Aline Andriveau, 1810-1895, of France.

The next mural is immediately to the right of the Red Scapular mural, right above the Mary side altar, and faces south.  The clue in this photo were the words around the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  I could make out the words on her right side, which say, "have recourse to thee."  Those are the last few words on the Miraculous Medal, the design of which is based on the 1830 apparitions in France of Mary to St. Catherine Labouré (1806-1876), who was also a Daughter of Charity.  The entire sentence on the medal and around the image of Mary pictured below is "O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee."  I am guessing that St. Catherine is the nun pictured.

Above the St. Joseph side altar, which is to the right of the main altar as you look at it, is this mural of "The Death of St. Joseph."  His foster son, Jesus Christ, is on one side of the dying saint, and the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, his wife, is on the other side. 

Finally, just to the right of the previous mural, on the east wall, is this mural of Jesus Christ appearing to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690), the French nun who promoted devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Next Sunday, I will write about some of the other decorative and functional elements in the interior of this church.


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