MADISON — One of the beautiful elements that has been added to the Cathedral of St. Bernard of Clairvaux in Madison as it is elevated is new paint and murals. 

The recent renovation offered an opportunity to fully adorn the beautiful gothic walls and arches of the church. Painting was used to raise the eye and mind toward Heaven – the earth tones of the low pillars and walls give way to celestial blues and golds in the roof and arches. The new details and colors are a way of drawing the eye upward, reminding us of our Most High God.

Further, the Church was adorned with new murals – both transepts and the apse now feature murals fitting their purpose. Above the main altar, the centerpiece of the apse has always been a stained-glass window featuring St. Bernard of Clairvaux. This window will remain in its place of honor, but above it is a new mural picturing Christ on His Throne, which takes inspiration from the mural which originally adorned that same spot when the church was built in 1927. 

In the image, Christ is flanked by saints of both the Old Covenant and the new evangelization. Abraham and Moses appear on the left, as saints of the Old Covenant. St. Thérèse of Lisieux, co-patroness of the diocese, and St. Aloysius Gonzaga, patron of youth, are on the right. This mural is a beautiful reminder that our heritage in the Diocese of Madison includes all the saints from the furthest antiquity to those who lived in our own times.

The transepts of the church are also newly adorned with murals. Above the confessionals is an image of the Prodigal Son, and on the other side, near the organ, is an image of St. Gregory, a patron of sacred music, surrounded by choirs of angels.

Further, the walls of the church have been beautified by many images of saints, notably the saints of the Roman Canon. These saints are mentioned in Eucharistic Prayer I and are some of the longest revered saints of the Church. Many of them are martyrs, and remind us of the centuries of our fathers in faith who imitated Christ’s sacrifice by shedding their blood. The style of these images includes many of the traditional symbols of these saints, such as St. Lucy holding a plate with her eyeballs. However, these new paintings also incorporate realistic details based on what we know of these saints’ life and times. For instance, St. Felicity is pictured pregnant, as we know she was when she was imprisoned for the faith. This harmonious blend of established symbols and life-like details calls us to the greatness of the saints, while reminding us that they are close to us and can sympathize with us.

Throughout the church are further painted details – angels holding scrolls, images of the four emblems of the Gospel writers, and a command painted over the arch of the apse: Euntes in mundum universum praedicate Evangelium omni creaturae. “Go into the whole world, and proclaim the Gospel to every creature” (Mk. 16:15). This command is partly fulfilled by the cathedral itself, which will serve as a sign of hope and of the presence of Christ here in Madison. 

For more information on the cathedral project, go to madisoncathedral.org