Sacred Heart Convent Chapel Opens to Public for Tour, Presentation May 9
For the first time in two years Sacred Heart Convent Chapel will open to the public for self-guided tours, an exhibit, and a presentation by eminent architectural historian Anthony Rubano.
The Dominican Sisters of Springfield will host Reading Light: Sacred Art & Architecture in collaboration with Liturgical Arts Festival of Springfield, 6:00-8:00 p.m., Monday May 9, 2022.
Doors open at 6:00 p.m. for self-guided tours of the chapel. Local architectural historian Anthony Rubano will discuss the architectural history of the mid-century modern chapel at 7:00 p.m. in Aquinas Center. Also in Aquinas Center will be an exhibit demonstrating the use of light and glass in various religious traditions.
“It will be a pleasure to welcome guests to the chapel again,” said Sister Beth Murphy, OP, the Dominican Sisters’ communication director. “Anyone who has enjoyed one of Anthony Rubano’s downtown tours knows they will be entertained and informed by his presentation.”
Dedicated in 1968, the chapel is among the largest U.S. works of Gabriel Loire, a prolific French glass artist who began his career replacing windows in European churches after World War II. The chapel contains 4,000 sq. ft. of dalle de vere, or faceted glass windows designed by Loire at his studio near Chartres. It also features two large Venetian glass mosaics and other sacred furnishings designed by the Chicago-based Daprato Rigali Studios.
Guests can download free tour materials when they register in advance below. Materials will also be available the day of the tour.
Liturgical Arts Festival of Springfield is an interfaith celebration of the arts celebrated biennially in Springfield since 1995.
What are “liturgical arts”?
Liturgical arts are cultural expressions of creativity, beauty, and community life: music, dance, drama, poetry, architecture, and visual art. LAFS is inspired by the beautiful diversity of faith traditions within our own community.Find the complete listing of Liturgical Arts Festival of Springfield’s events During the week of May 6-15, 2022 at http://www.lafspringfield.org/.
Registration for Reading Light, May 9, 2022
Baptism, Word, Eucharist: Font, Ambo, Altar
Baptism, Word, Eucharist: Font, Ambo, Altar Plans for this chapel began in 1962 at the start of the Second Vatican Council. It was dedicated in October 1968, barely three years after the close of the council. The sisters could not at that time have fully grasped the changes coming to the church and to their […]
The Nave & Window Pairs
The Nave Most visitors remark immediately on the face-to-face seating in this basilica-style nave, the part of the chapel where the seating is. This monastic arrangement facilitates the daily sung prayer of the sisters, a dialogic chant from side to side across the aisle as they fulfill the Dominican ideal to praise, to bless, and […]
Reredos and Sanctuary Windows
When you face the large mosaic wall with the crucifix on it, you are looking at the reredos (Rare-dose). Made of brilliant Venetian glass tiles, this magnificent mosaic and the smaller one to the right were created in Italy and shipped to the U.S. in square panels each numbered for assembly on the wall by […]
