A Fresh Look for a Historic Spot: Murals and Statues Get New Life at St. Al's

This spring, Gonzaga refreshed the rear of St. Aloysius Church, bringing new life to two murals and relocating a pair of statues. The artist behind the murals is Armen Kankanian, who first painted them in 1994 after being introduced to Gonzaga by this year’s Father Novotny Service Award honoree, Bob Murray ’53. More than 30 years later, Kankanian returned to enhance his original work and make it more congruent with the aesthetic of the rest of the church.

The mural on the left is a view of Washington, D.C., featuring the Key Bridge near the historic path of Tiber Creek and the familiar clock tower of St. Aloysius Church. In the mural on the right, a scene from Rome shows a bridge crossing the Tiber River with St. Peter’s Basilica in the background. Above the murals, two Latin phrases serve as reminders of Gonzaga’s Jesuit educational objective (Homines Pro Aliis, which means People for Others) and Ignatian heritage (Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam, which means For the Greater Glory of God).

 

In addition to the mural work, alumnus Michael Bratti ‘84, who owns stone supplier R. Bratti Associates, helped move two statues from the front of the church to the rear. As you’ll see in the time-lapse video below, the statue of St. Francis Xavier—untouched for over 100 years, according to Father Lingan, S.J.—now stands on the left. On the right is St. Ignatius Loyola, and in the center remains the statue of St. Aloysius Gonzaga. "Together, they create an encouraging, reflective space that honors the school’s location and Catholic, Jesuit roots," says Father Lingan.

Click below to see the time-lapse video.