You're on mobile! This site will work on your phone, but we recommend you visit this page on desktop for the best experience.

Novena to the Sacred Heart

Day Five: Dome of Local History

Use the audio player in the menu below to listen to today's reflection. If you prefer, you can find a text version of the reflection and prayer at this link.
‍
When you're ready, scroll down or use the down arrow on your keyboard to learn more about today's featured mosaic.

Above the mosaics of the Beatitudes stand some holy men and women from St. Louis history who put the Beatitudes into practice.

Uniting their efforts (artistically and architecturally) is the “Dome of Local History,” a powerful reminder of St. Louis’s place in God’s own intricate mosaic of Providence.

Hildreth Meière designed the dome’s mosaics, which features the seal of the Archdiocese of St. Louis encircled by a passage from Revelation: “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying behold the dwelling of God with men and He will dwell with them and they will be His people and God Himself will be with them.”

The Fleur-de-lis has long been associated with both the city of St. Louis and its historical, saintly namesake. It was King Louis IX (or so goes the legend) who decreed that the three petals of the fleur-de-lis represented faith, wisdom, chivalry. The French settlers who founded St. Louis in 1764 carried the legacy of the fleur-de-lis with them, and it has been a central part of the city's cultural identity ever since.

The blue of the dome is dotted with fleur-de-lis, a symbol of St. Louis. The vine, a unifying motif throughout the whole of the Cathedral Basilica, scrolls its way around the twelve windows of the dome.
(Hover over the fleur-de-lis to learn a bit more!)

Did you Know?

As the Catholic Church in the United States grew, St. Louis began to play an important role—so much so that it gained the reputation of being the “Rome of the West.” But this was hardly an overnight success!

In 1812, Bishop Louis-Guillaume-Valentin DuBourg, Administrator Apostolic of the Diocese of Louisiana and the Two Floridas, wrote to all the seminaries in France seeking volunteers to venture to St. Louis as missionaries.

Posters were placed throughout the dioceses of France containing this blunt invitation:

We offer you no salary,

no recompense,

no pension,

no holidays,

but much hard work,

a poor dwelling, many disappointments, few consolations,

frequent sickness,

a violent or lonely death,

and an unknown grave.

Fortunately, there were many who answered this call. Their heroic faith laid the foundation for our Archdiocese.

As we approach the bicentennial of our Archidiocese, we might reflect how God is calling each of us to this very same faith.

CREDITS
Today's Guide: Msgr. Eugene Morris is a priest of the Archdiocese of St. Louis who celebrated 30 years of priesthood this past May. He serves as rector of the Oratory of Ss. Gregory and Augustine.
‍
Photographs of the mosaics by Cori Nations Photography‍
‍
Etching of Archbishop Louis William Valentine Dubourg:
Gilmary, John Shea. History of the Catholic Church in the United States (1890) p. 357.
‍
Map of Louisiana Territory:
Lewis, Samuel, 1753 Or, and Aaron Arrowsmith. Louisiana. [S.l, 1805] Map. Via the Library of Congress.
‍
Painting of St. Louis river bluffs:
George Catlin, River Bluffs, 1320 Miles above St. Louis, 1832, oil on canvas, 11 1/4 x 14 3/8 in. (28.5 x 36.6 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mrs. Joseph Harrison, Jr., 1985.66.399