Sacred Hearts

Saint Xavier Church’s tabernacle and monstrance.

I was contacted by Stewart Iron Works to sculpt these two Sacred Hearts for historic St. Xavier Church in Cincinnati, Ohio.  The church was undergoing extensive restoration, returning it more to its original décor and architecture.  Old photos showed that there were two sacred hearts mounted on the monstrance, although the distance and resolution in the photos did not offer any details.

I was given two rough drawings showing the basic elements to be depicted with each heart and their dimensions.  The roses proved the greatest challenge.

 The highly reflective finish of the polished bronze hearts makes the detail a little hard to distinguish in photos.

Material: Bronze
Size: 9 x 13 x 3 inches each.