{"id":471,"date":"2013-10-09T03:16:22","date_gmt":"2013-10-08T21:46:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/19designstudio.com\/preview\/BestofSWLA\/?p=471"},"modified":"2018-03-01T11:52:17","modified_gmt":"2018-03-01T17:52:17","slug":"grand-design","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bestofswla.com\/2013\/10\/09\/grand-design\/","title":{"rendered":"Grand Design"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Great Altar’s Journey To The Cathedral Of The Immaculate Conception\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Story By Brad Goins \u2022 Photos By Victor Monsour<\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

There was a time \u2014 long ago \u2014 when it was feared that the large marble altar in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in downtown Lake Charles would never be complete. At the time, in the 1920s, those best qualified to work on the altar thought it was just too big and too complex to be assembled in the place of worship.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The altar had taken the long way around to Lake Charles. First it was built in Carrara, Italy, with the pure marble of that city \u2014 the sort of pure marble said to be used for the statues of Michelangelo.<\/p>\n

The altar then traveled to Salt Lake City, Utah. That city\u2019s Cathedral of the Madelaine had bought the altar from the marble masons of Carrara for $9,000. It was installed in the Salt Lake cathedral in 1909.<\/p>\n

What is now the Lake Charles Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, and was then the Church of the Immaculate Conception, bought the altar from the Diocese of Salt Lake City in 1922. Before this purchase, the huge altar had been sitting unused in Salt Lake for years.<\/p>\n

The altar enjoyed an extremely short period of usage in Utah because the bishop who had it installed was very soon succeeded by another bishop whose vision of the appearance of the cathedral didn\u2019t accommodate the altar. This successor, Bishop Joseph S. Glass, wanted an altar that was much less ornate than the one from Carrara. He placed the elaborate marble altar in storage in 1917.<\/p>\n

Parishioners who worshipped at the Lake Charles Cathedral at the time, Mr. and Mrs. Paul Zimmerman, happened to be friends of Bishop Glass. (In fact, Mrs. Zimmerman was the bishop\u2019s cousin.) The couple learned of the enormous marble altar that was collecting dust in Utah. They agreed to pay for the cost of transporting it to Lake Charles if it could be obtained.<\/p>\n

Immaculate Conception was a church in search of an altar. The Great Fire of 1910 had destroyed the earlier church, which had been built in 1881. (The Lake Charles church had begun as a chapel dedicated to St. Francis de Sales in 1858. Damage from an 1879 hurricane resulted in the construction of a new church, the Church of the Immaculate conception, in 1881.) The new Church of the Immaculate Conception was constructed in 1913.<\/p>\n

Four years later, when Immaculate Conception put out feelers about purchasing the marble altar from the Salt Lake Cathedral, it may not have been known that there was a bargain to be had. Lake Charles managed to obtain the altar for almost half of its original price. The Lake Charles representatives paid a total of only $5,000; of that, only $2,500 was made as a down payment; the remainder went to Salt Lake City in yearly installments.<\/p>\n

\u2018One Gigantic Jigsaw Puzzle\u2019<\/b><\/p>\n

Immaculate Conception had the good fortune to have a parishioner whose father had worked in marble in Carrara \u2014 Floyd Solari. When he was first approached about the job of installing the altar, Solari balked. He felt the job was just too complex and large in scope for his resources.<\/p>\n

But with some strong encouragement from the priest, Monsignor Hubert Cramers, Solari and his brother Sherman eventually undertook the work. It was a task that would take a year to complete.<\/p>\n

When the marble pieces of the altar were transported to Lake Charles by train, they filled two box cars. Initially the Solari brothers were overwhelmed by the sight of the pieces spread out on the floor of Immaculate Conception. \u201cSome of the pieces weighed a ton,\u201d said Floyd.<\/p>\n

(Although there is probably no one alive today who remembers, it was once said that children at the time were let out of school to see railroad tracks laid to the site of Immaculate Conception and the mighty marble parts transported by train to the site and laid out on the building floor. One does wonder how parts weighing a ton or more would have been transported from the railroad station to the building site in 1913.)<\/p>\n

The Solaris were marble workers. They weren\u2019t used to moving around pieces of this weight by themselves. Msgr. Cramers hired local contractor Signey J. Ory to do the heavy lifting.<\/p>\n

The Solaris spent the entire year of 1923 working on the altar project. The records of Immaculate Conception show that the Solaris were paid $646 for their labor.<\/p>\n

From the start, there were major challenges in addition to the extreme weight of the pieces. For one thing, the parts had come with no labels to explain what went where. Someone would have to figure out how to put the altar together. \u201cThere was no blueprint, no pattern, no photographs. It was just one gigantic jigsaw puzzle,\u201d said Floyd. Just the assembling of the pieces took two months.<\/p>\n

To give an instance of the assembly problems that had to be dealt with, it was clear that two panels were to go on the sides of the altar. One panel portrayed lilies and the other the Sacred Heart. The question, of course, was which panel was supposed to go on which side of the altar? Had these design elements been specifically placed in order to communicate some specific aesthetic and spiritual message? Or was it really not a crucial matter which panel was played on which side?<\/p>\n

The work included not just assembly, but remodeling as well. Some of the pieces of the altar had been damaged in transit and had to be reworked.<\/p>\n

Gothic, Greek And Roman Styles<\/b><\/p>\n

Whatever decisions the Solari brothers reached over the course of a year, the parishioners seemed to have been pleased with them. Today the altar is a great draw \u2014 to parishioners, other locals and tourists. Altar expert, and Cathedral of Immaculate Conception parishioner, Ann Romero, says \u201cour marble altars are the true aesthetic centerpieces of the church.\u201d<\/p>\n

The altar is considered to be in somewhat of a Gothic style. Perhaps this is due to the fact that the structure is extremely detailed and ornate. Also, the vertical nature of the center of the altar \u2014 with its miniature tower topped by a cross \u2014 may be considered a strongly Gothic element. (And it certainly makes for an interesting comparison with the 5-story bell tower of the Cathedral.) Finally, the prominence of sculptures and scenes depicted in bas-relief in the altar are Gothic features.<\/p>\n

However, it should be emphasized that parts of the altar don\u2019t quite correspond to the popular notion of Gothic. For instance, the prominent arches in the altar aren\u2019t in the pointed arch form of the Gothic. They\u2019re in the circular form of the arches one finds all over the Cathedral. (More on this below.)<\/p>\n

Furthermore, the large dome-like structure that\u2019s near the top of the center of the altar indicates a Mediterranean or Eastern influence. Similar design elements are prominent in the floor of Immaculate Conception, whose diamonds and circles were meant to suggest Greek (Byzantine) art.<\/p>\n

The way in which the dome-like structure in the altar echoes those of Greek Orthodox churches may have pleased church leaders, as the overall layout of Immaculate Conception is meant to resemble a Greek cross in a general way.<\/p>\n

The dome-like structure in the altar, and the round arches built atop the niches that house the altar\u2019s statues, clearly resonate with the many circular arches over windows and doors in Immaculate Conception, as well as the Cathedral\u2019s dome-like vaulted ceiling and the arches in the building\u2019s five-story bell tower.<\/p>\n

In Religious Architecture in Louisiana (LSU Press, 1995), Robert W. Heck writes that the Cathedrals\u2019 \u201cSemicircular-arch windows and doors \u2026 typify the Italian Romanesque.\u201d (The layers of circular rows of bricks that rise up impressively over the arches above the exterior doors of Immaculate Conception are called \u201cbrick semi-circular compound arches\u201d by the National Historical Society.)<\/p>\n

Heck says the entire building is designed in \u201cthe North Italian Romanesque vein.\u201d As is characteristic of Italian Romanesque architecture, the main design elements of the interior of the building are echoed by structures on the exterior.<\/p>\n

Romanesque architecture always reflects the part of Europe where it developed. In the case of the Cathedral, the Romanesque style that was desired was that of Northern Italy, and especially of the Lombard area. Morris J. LeBleu, director of communications of the Lake Charles Diocese, has written that the Cathedral is \u201cconsidered one of the finest examples of Lombardy Romanesque architecture in the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Lombard influence is what accounts for the cathedral\u2019s red tile roof (which many consider its most distinctive feature).<\/p>\n

Also indicative of the Northern Italian style is the roof of the bell tower with its overhanging eaves. (Note that the top of the tower is the only exterior part of the building that uses multiple colors in its architecture; at the top of the tower, the bricks are red, black and white.)<\/p>\n

People instinctively feel that Immaculate Cathedral has a unique look to it. And it is a unique structure. Immaculate Conception is the only example of Romanesque Revival architecture in Southwest Louisiana.<\/p>\n

The Role Of Marble<\/b><\/p>\n

The architectural plan for the Immaculate Conception church completed in 1913 was conceived by the firm of Favrot and Livaudais in New Orleans \u2014 the same firm that designed such area buildings as the Calcasieu Parish Courthouse, the Lake Charles City Hall and the Calcasieu Marine Bank at about the same time.<\/p>\n

While the design of the altar may have been thought to reflect some design elements of the Cathedral, the altar\u2019s distinctive material \u2014 the pure Carrara marble \u2014 may have had some direct influence on the Cathedral. Roughly 30 years after the altar was installed, the Cathedral\u2019s wooden pulpit was replaced by a marble one. And the columns in the nave were covered with marble.<\/p>\n

The Basic Design<\/b><\/p>\n

The major design elements of the altar are quickly and easily grasped. A large statue of each of the four Evangelists is included in the altar. There is a niche for each Evangelist; they appear from left to right in the same order in which their Gospels appear in the Bible. This use of a row of sculpted figures in niches is a common feature of Gothic altars.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The circular rows of bricks over the arch above the Rectory entrance are called \u201cbrick semi-circular compound arches.\u201d They are remarkably similar in shape to the arches above the niches in the altar<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The central portion of the altar features a statue of the Blessed Virgin. (This statue was completed and added after the altar was installed.) It bears the title \u201cImmaculate Conception.\u201d<\/p>\n

Each of the niches is topped by a circular arch which is a near match for those over the Cathedral doors. If you look at the altar carefully, you\u2019ll see that the arch over the niche for the statue of Mary incorporates five smaller circular arches. Careful observation will reveal that this exact same arrangement of arches within arches is repeated right behind the statue. Again, these circular designs make a stunning match with the many circular Romanesque elements that figure so prominently in the Cathedral.<\/p>\n

At the bottom of the central section of the altar is a bas-relief of the Last Supper.<\/p>\n

So great is the amount of detail in this altar that it\u2019s hard to imagine taking it in in one viewing. Repeated viewings of the altar are sure to be rewarding. They can easily be arranged by inquiring at the office across the street from the Cathedral. Just look for the entrance with the sign that says \u201cOffice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s round out the story of this altar that was once thought to be too big to build by mentioning a few pertinent historical factors about Immaculate Conception.<\/p>\n

The Church of the Immaculate Conception became the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in 1980. This change reflected the creation of the Diocese of Lake Charles.<\/p>\n

In 1994, the Cathedral was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.<\/p>\n

And finally, of course, this year marks the 100th anniversary of the red brick Cathedral that was built in the aftermath of the Great Fire.<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared in the May 2, 2013 edition of Lagniappe Magazine.<\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/i><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Great Altar’s Journey To The Cathedral Of The Immaculate Conception\u00a0 Story By Brad Goins \u2022 Photos By Victor Monsour   There was a time \u2014 long ago \u2014 when it was feared that the large marble altar in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in downtown Lake Charles would never be complete. 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