St. Stanislaus Kostka R. C. Church
Monday
– photo by Mitch Waxman
That’s the… what do you Goyem call it… altar? The stage? I don’t know, but it’s the centerpiece and point of focus at Pittsburgh’s St. Stanislaus Kostka Roman Catholic Church. My grandmother would have referred to the statuary depicting the crucified Christ rising above a scale model of Rome’s St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican simply as “Yuyzel on da cruss.” What can I tell you, I grew up Jewish.
I’ve visited this ‘sacred space’ before, but this time around I was on a walking tour of the surrounding strip district offered by the ‘Doors Open Pittsburgh’ outfit and I got to linger and take a really good look at the place.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
This sculpture caught my attention just because there’s so much going on in the composition. Whom I would presume to be Mary is holding a baby I would presume to be Jesus, and offering the Rosary to the damned. I’m sure that every hand posture and facial expression has some allegorical meaning, as that would be ‘very Catholic.’ It was located behind the rack of votive candles, if that means anything. It probably does.
One of the Lay people who care for the church spoke to our group of lookie loos and detailed the history of the centuried congregation and it’s many trials that have included catastrophic floods and nearby industrial explosions. I couldn’t get a decent shot of the mural on the ceiling vault, which depicts John Sobieski and the boys arriving in Vienna to kick some Turk ass. For those not familiar with the battle, it’s what Tolkien based the ‘Charge of the Rohirim’ at Helms Deep on in his Lord of the Rings epic.
– photo by Mitch Waxman
On our way back out to the street, and we had to leave in an expeditious fashion as the Church’s Priest had appeared in vestment, with a large family in tow and they were preparing to christen a new baby. If you’re ever in Pittsburgh, definitely put this jewel of a church on you list to visit. Pope John Paul 2 did, so why not you?
As a note, I’ve actually done a bit of research on the ritual of Baptism in the past and it is positively ancient. The Canaanites were basically fire worshippers, being connected to the religions of the Phoenicians as they were – with Baal as the central godhead and ritual sites found on the hilltops in wilderness areas – so it’s unlikely that the proto Hebrews picked it up from them. Theoretically, Baptism became part of the portfolio about the same time that Angels first became part of the story, during the ‘Babylonian Captivity.’
Back tomorrow.
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Would love to get your “take” on the Holy Ghost – seen bird-like above Mary in the 2nd photo. Also if the actual crucifixion had “Yuyzel” wearing a loin cloth.
georgetheatheist. . . modesty rules
May 30, 2023 at 9:34 am
It’s a cute bird, looks kind of like an owl, no? Re: Yuyzel, I guess it depends on art vs reality
Mitch Waxman
May 30, 2023 at 10:54 am
Yes, owl-like. The Greeks depicted the goddess Athena as springing from the head of Zeus. The owl became the symbol of Athena. I wonder if the owl-like Holy Ghost is somehow related to the Greek tale. The Mary image related to Athena?
georgetheatheist . . . what meaning
May 30, 2023 at 11:31 am
Maybe? The congregation is largely Polish/Slavic if that means anything
Mitch Waxman
May 30, 2023 at 11:32 am
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