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Novena to the Sacred Heart

Day Four: Beatitudes

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.
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When you're ready, scroll down or use the down arrow on your keyboard to learn more about today's featured mosaic.

As we make our way south, we find a row of imposing angelic figures.

Eight angels stand on the Arcades of the south end of the Cathedral Basilica’s nave, each with a scroll bearing one of the Beatitudes. The angels stand against a heavenly blue background; the meandering vine scrolls behind them, a reminder that living the Beatitudes is impossible without God.

To take a closer look at a particular mosaic, just hover your mouse over the image to pause the slides.

Completed in 1925, the mosaics featuring the Beatitudes were part of an early push to expand the ornamentation of the new Cathedral. They were designed by Professor August Oetken (d. 1951), a German artist and educator living in Berlin, who was considered by many to be the leading mosaic artist of the day.

August Oetken (1868-1951)

Did you know?

‍When Archbishop Glennon commissioned the Beatitudes mosaic, the centennial celebration of the 1826 founding of the Diocese was just two years away. Hoping to have more ornamentation in place before the big celebration, the Archbishop commissioned a truly ambitious 17 mosaics, including six large designs.

The plan worked, and the mosaics were completed by June of 1926. Providence, the skill of his artists, and some basic economics all worked in his favor: Pühl & Wagner, the Berlin studio responsible for manufacturing the glass mosaic tesserae, was eager for work (like much of inter-war Berlin), and the tile makers created much of the material at minimum cost.

CREDITS
Today's Guide: John C. Guenther is an architect, author, and historian. His counsel was indispensable in crafting the supplementary text for this Novena program. His book Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis: An Illustrated Timeline is an excellent resource for those wishing to deepen their knowledge of this treasure of the Church.

Photos of Archbishop Glennon and the dedication celerbation courtesy of the Archdiocese of St. Louis Archives.
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Photograph of August Oetken: Von unbekannt - Karl Veit Riedel: Oetken, August Heinrich Hermann. In: Hans Friedl, Wolfgang Günther, Hilke Günther-Arndt, Heinrich Schmidt (Hrsg.): Biographisches Handbuch zur Geschichte des Landes Oldenburg. Isensee Verlag, Oldenburg 1992, S. 534–535, accessed electronically via Wikimedia.

Photographs of mosaics by Cori Nations Photography.