admin — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 18:38:54 +0000

Every picture you see on this page is a link to see more, please click on each picture on this page to see the complete presentation.

There will be three presentations, The first will be a HD panorama tour of the Parish. the second will be sets of close ups of the stained glass. The third being be a set of stills. As in all of our presentations, we want to remind you that this is not the web site of the Saint Mary Parish. Please click on the ‘about …’ for their physical address and a link to their web site.

The cornerstone of this church was laid on June 12, 1910, and the completed church was solemnly blessed on June 30, 1912.Much like the cathedrals of Europe, this church was build by skilled volunteers gifted in various trades. Engelbert Gier, the architect, a member of the parish, learned his trade in Germany. His brother, Emil, carved the two large Gothic shrines in the transept. Local carpenters and brick layers built the edifice. Bricks were made on site with a hand mold which pressed five bricks at a time.

No records exist concerning the exact cost of the church, but tradition has it that it cost $85,000.00 plus contributed services. This figure may seem unreal, but the going rate for skilled labor was only $2.00 per day, and lumber cost $8.00 per 1000 board foot.

The church, designed and build in the Revival Gothic style is laid out in the form of a Latin Cross. The altar and sanctuary are located at the intersection of this cruciform building. Here the ceiling is painted blue and studded with gold leaf stars. In the German tradition this is called the “Himmel” or heaven and was designed to focus one’s attention on the altar, the most important piece of furniture in the church.

Beyond the rail is the Eucharist Chapel dominated by the high tabernacle shrine. It is here that the Blessed Sacrament is kept in repose.

The Revival Gothic church is typified by high vaulted ceilings with massive ribs, pointed arches and tall slender stained glass windows.

St. Mary Parish, Mt Angel Oregon 2009

Start by clicking on the image below.

After starting the panorama, we do not have auto rotate enabled as we believe it’s more of an adventure to scroll around on your own. Just click and drag with the mouse.

You can zoom in and out to enjoy the detail and resolution provided in two of the screens. To view the Parish from different perspectives. select from the stacked images in the lower left hand corner, click on them.

There are 22 stained glass windows in the church. They depict the life of Mary and represent highlights from the life of Jesus.

The two windows in the apse of the church, on each side of the tabernacle shrine, were made by the Royal Bavarian Glass Works in Munich, Germany for this church. These windows represent the Annunciation, when the Angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would be the mother of the Son of God, and the Resurrection of the Lord on that first Easter Sunday. They are much like the ‘books ends’ of Redemption history.

The two small windows over the north and south side doors were make by the Povey Brothers of Portland and were moved here from the sanctuary of the previous church. They represent the Epiphany and Christ’s Agony in the Garden. The later was the only window to receive serious damage in the 1993 earthquake.

The remaining windows in the church were make by the Emil Frei Glass Company of St. Louis, Missouri. These windows, with the exception of the four in the choir loft, are like snap shots from a family album, documenting the important moments of the life of the Holy Family.

In the choir loft are four windows representing the Choir of Angels. These windows, based on paintings done by Fra. Angelico, a Fifteenth Century Franciscan, are perhaps the most photographed in the church. The Emil Frei windows have not only perfect proportions but perfect form and coloring as well.

When setting up for the panography we also take individual shots of icons that we feel might not be presented the same way in the HD Pano. Most of the credit for these pictures belong to Francene Jones. A couple of the pictures will also show the vibrancy of the cleaned and restored stained glass.

Our header images are flattened full 360 degree panoramas. The images have been cropped so they are no longer spherical but are still the gigapixel stitched pano’s

When you view these please remember that they are zoomable. Please zoom into the image and see the great detail available.

St Mary's Parish