The Mystery Of The Holy Eucharist As Depicted In The Murals in Our Cathedral

    During this third week of Easter we have been reading from the Gospel of John 3: 25-71 on the “Discourse on the Bread of Life”.  These Scriptures brought back to me the details of an event I was privileged to participate in recently, “An Interpretation of the Frank Duveneck’s Triptych in the Cathedral Chapel.”

     On April 6, 2019 Rev. Msgr. William Cleves, who had been invited by the Northern Kentucky Heritage League, gave his Interpretation of the Duveneck Murals.  There were some fifty folks gathered in the Blessed Sacrament Chapel of the Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption to hear Fr. Cleves’ presentation. As this year is the 100^th anniversary of Frank Duveneck’s death it was a great way to recognize him and his work. 

      Frank Duveneck (1848-1919) a local artist who lived not far from St. Joseph Church, 12^th and Greenup Streets, at 1232 Greenup St., spent much of his early years observing and assisting the artists of the Benedictine-operated Covington Altar Building Stock Company.   After much training and experience here and also in Munich, Germany and Florence, Italy, he was commissioned in 1905 by Bishop Camillus P. Maes, to create a set of Murals for the 36.6 ft. high wall of the Cathedral’s Blessed Sacrament Chapel.  The bishop wanted a depiction of the historic lineage of the holy Eucharist from the Old Testament to the present day.  It took Frank five years to complete the work, moving the canvases with him to wherever he was working, especially at the Cincinnati Art Academy.  The Triptych was hung and dedicated in 1909.

     Fr. Cleves pointed out that we will see that Duveneck really studied and knew his material very well in order to produce such a gem. After many hours meditating with these murals while he was rector at the Cathedral, Fr. Cleves shared the theological and spiritual significance that he has gleaned.

     “We read the triptych from right to left, in the style of biblical Hebrew manuscripts. We want to see what it says to us now.  There is no past of future time, only the present.  Events were timeless. They entered the event. We step into it and out again.

The Right scene:  We see Arron’s hand is on the altar.  (The altar and pillars are the Cathedral’s altar and pillars.) The cup of blessing and the show bread are near the other hand.  As we read Exodus 28: 1-40, we see that Duveneck painted all of the details, as described in the text, that Arron and all priests are to wear.

 The Middle Panel:  Bottom:  The woman kneels below the cross in pain and is surrounded by symbols of death, even the city is in the dark.  She looks up seeing only the suffering Christ.  The view from below is not what is seen from above.   God sees differently.  God is supporting Jesus in his suffering.  She sees only partially.

Top:  The Trinity is involved.  Angels span all time – unity the whole triptych.  The Central event is the Paschal Mystery:  the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus the Christ.  All is foreshadowed in the Old Testament.  Jesus is the Bread of Life, and his Blood is our Drink. 

Left Panel:  Now we experience this mystery in this Cathedral.  (Note the altar and pillars are what you see around you here.)  These events are timeless.  We enter them - that they might become flesh.  (The deacon’s apparel is modeled after Arron’s dress connecting the old with the new.  The priests are from religious orders of the Church.  Even one of the stained glass windows is painted above on the wall of this panel.)

      All this takes place under the watchful eye of God and the Angels.  Genisis 22: “God sees to it.”    God Provides=God’s Providence.  It takes the eyes of faith to see beyond. We have outward signs of His presence, especially the Eucharist that continues in this very Church. There is no time when we cannot see the presence of God among us – to be revealed by the eyes of faith.” 

     Fr. Cleves closed by quoting Duveneck, “What Good can come from Galilee, that place of shame?  We have seen.”  With the strength of God he created this beautiful sacred art.  It can reveal the depth of God’s love and care of us.

    What a treasure we have in our midst to help us appreciate the Mystery of the Eucharist over the course of history!  Thanks to the vision of Bishop Maes, the artistic ability of Frank Duveneck and the shared interpretation of Msgr. William Cleves.

       Sr. Mary Tewes, OSB