Watercolor of Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church

Just completed on September 22… an 11″ x 14″ watercolor portrait of Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church in St. Louis, Missouri. This portrait was commissioned to be a gift for a former member of the parish who has fond childhood memories at this place of worship. As many of you know, I love portraying any kind of building, whether residential or commercial, and every so often, I am honored to be asked to portray a truly inspiring structure. This is one of them.

This brick and richly terracotta ornamented church is located seven miles southwest of downtown St. Louis.  The design was inspired by the Basilica di San Paolo fuori le Mura ( St. Paul Outside the Walls) in Rome, founded in the 4th century by Emperor Constantine. The graceful arcade of the porch is typical of early Christian churches, however, the bell tower is modeled after the Northern Italian style of the 11th and 12th centuries because earlier churches did not have towers. The exterior was completed in 1928, and the magnificent interior was completed ten years later in 1938, by the architect Adolf L. Stauder, whose family architectural firm still exists today. The church and adjacent school are part of a wonderful parish community and I’m so glad… they happened to be where my siblings and I attended so many years ago. I hope the artwork brings much joy and warm memories to the recipient for many years to come.