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Day One: The Central Dome
Use the audio player in the menu below (bottom of the screen, near the center) 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.
We begin our “virtual pilgrimage” around the Cathedral Basilica with a view of its monumental central dome.
God’s salvific power is on full display in this composition. Four major scenes reinforce this theme.
(Click each button on/off to highlight the art!)
This artistic call to respice ad finem (to “look toward the end”) places the rest of the mosaics firmly within the context of the majesty and mystery of the eschaton. We are reminded that God has a plan for each of us—and that we are bound for eternity.
The original plan for the central dome featured designs by the artist Hildreth Meière (pictured left). Unfortunately, this plan was never realized, as Meière passed away in May 1961 from leukemia. A new design by John de Rosen (who also contributed mosaics to the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.) was proposed a year later, and installation began, at last, in 1964.
The mosaics were installed over the course of nine months by Paul Heuduck and his son, Arno. The central dome reaches 143 feet above the floor; its spherical surface (11,000 square feet) makes this one of the largest mosaic domes in the world.
Did you know...?
While the Cathedral Basilica was completed in 1914, its consecration came later, on June 29, 1926. Over one thousand priests—including four cardinals and fifty-nine archbishops and bishops—were present for the consecration and the Eucharistic procession down Lindell Boulevard that followed. The estimated total attendance was over 100,000. This June will mark the 100-year anniversary of the momentous occasion.
CREDITS
Today's guide: Since this Novena is so rooted in the beauty of the Cathedral Basilica, it is fitting that the first day is led by Monsignor Breier, who in his role as Rector has stewarded this treasure of the Church since 2019.
Photo of Hildreth Meière courtesey of the Hildreth Meière Family Collection.We'll take a closer look at Meirè's legacy later on in this series, but you can learn more on the International Hildreth Meière Association website.
Photo of de Rosen by Nikipolo, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Photo of the wide shot of the Central Dome (featured on slides one and 2): John C. Guenther, FAIA, LEED AP
Vignettes of the Central Dome: Cori Nations Photography
Wide shot of Cathedral Basilica interior (featured on slide 6): Cori Nations Photography
Exterior image of Cathedral Basilica courtesy of the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis Archives
