The Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in the Basilica Cathedral in Philadelphia
The altar of Our Lady of Guadalupe was the thought of Cardinal Rigali. He promised Our Lady and the Hispanic community to have the image of Our Lady, who is the Patron of the Americas and Our Lady of the Unborn, installed in the Cathedral Basilica.
This altar was made of Vermont marble and is no longer quarried. The altar was then designed to complement the architecture of the Cathedral Basilica and the other altars. Actual authenticated images of Our Lady of Guadalupe were obtained from Mexico. Thousands of tesserae (small glass squares) were used to create the image. The smaller the tessera, the more intricate and detailed the image. Some of these glass tiles were so small they were installed using tweezers. Each piece of glass was hand placed in the old tradition of the Venetian mosaics done thousands of years before. 24 karat gold leaf Venetian glass was used throughout the garments and starburst around Our Lady. The mosaic took two men more than four months to create. After the mosaic was complete, a marble altar to surround and frame the mosaic was created. Over 11 tons of marble were used to create the altar and medallion. The individually carved roses that surround the frame of the mosaic were designed to mirror the roses that Saint Juan Diego delivered to the Bishop when he unveiled the image of Our Lady on his tilma.
The Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in the Basilica Cathedral in Philadelphia
The altar of Our Lady of Guadalupe was the thought of Cardinal Rigali. He promised Our Lady and the Hispanic community to have the image of Our Lady, who is the Patron of the Americas and Our Lady of the Unborn, installed in the Cathedral Basilica.
This altar was made of Vermont marble and is no longer quarried. The altar was then designed to complement the architecture of the Cathedral Basilica and the other altars. Actual authenticated images of Our Lady of Guadalupe were obtained from Mexico. Thousands of tesserae (small glass squares) were used to create the image. The smaller the tessera, the more intricate and detailed the image. Some of these glass tiles were so small they were installed using tweezers. Each piece of glass was hand placed in the old tradition of the Venetian mosaics done thousands of years before. 24 karat gold leaf Venetian glass was used throughout the garments and starburst around Our Lady. The mosaic took two men more than four months to create. After the mosaic was complete, a marble altar to surround and frame the mosaic was created. Over 11 tons of marble were used to create the altar and medallion. The individually carved roses that surround the frame of the mosaic were designed to mirror the roses that Saint Juan Diego delivered to the Bishop when he unveiled the image of Our Lady on his tilma.