Monumental Sculpture & Design for a Rosary Walk and Garden
Monumental Sculpture & Design for a Rosary Walk and Garden
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, DC
As visitors enter the Rosary Walk and Garden from the parking lot, the walkway descends through the Garden to a full-size sculpture grouping in hand-carved Carrara marble. The grouping depicts Our Lady of Fatima being venerated by the three children who witnessed the apparition: Lucia Santos, Jacinta, and Francisco Marto.
To the left is seen a full-size presentation of Christ on the Cross at a distance. As the visitor processes to this marble crucifix, on the left is the first of five Milford Pink granite arches of Rambusch design, within which are presented the first mosaics of each of the Mysteries of the Rosary. Rambusch developed the sketches and full-size drawings for the mosaics. The metal frames, which Rambusch created, have an integrated illumination source for evening visits.
Rambusch was honored to be involved with the design and creation of the drawings and models for the sculptures in the Garden and the mosaic Mysteries of the Rosary. Over a two-year cycle of design submissions and refinements, Rambusch provided oversight of the hand-carved statues, the mosaic work, and the delivery and installation.
All facets of the garden were considered … from visitor circulation to prayerful encounter to landscape plantings and elevations.
