Restored Stations of the Cross to be rededicated in St. Mary’s Chapel March 31
The Stations of the Cross that were installed in St. Mary’s Chapel in 1930 have been restored and will be rededicated at a Lenten liturgical event at 7 p.m. Friday, March 31, in the chapel.
St. Mary’s is the chapel of the St. Paul Seminary, 2260 Summit Ave.
The Stations’ restoration comes just in time for Lenten meditation and the eighth-annual performance at St. Mary’s of “Via Dolorosa,” a depiction of the Stations of the Cross in prayer and song by the Agape Singers of St. Raphael’s Catholic Church in Crystal. Gretchen Eckes, choir director at St. Raphael’s, directs the 30-member group.
The public is welcome to “Via Dolorosa” and to see the beautifully restored Stations.
The original frames crafted for the richly detailed, classically painted stations had been replaced by wooden ones, and the stations had been in storage since the chapel’s 1988 renovation. Today the repoussé enamel and bronze stations now have their original frames and can be seen on the chapel’s side aisle walls.
Rambusch Decorative Arts Studio in New York was given the original commission for the stations, and artisans Gustav Wrau, Louis Hanson and Leif Neandross completed the project. Each jewel-toned station depicts a scene from the Passion, coordinating with the chapel’s stained-glass windows and murals designed by artist Bancel La Farge.
Each center-plate scene is surrounded by a brass and copper decorative frame with enameled medallions. Over the past few months, the brass frames were expertly restored by St. Paul Fabricating & Decorating Co., thanks to a gift from a generous benefactor.
