When we enter Saint Clement Church, our eyes are drawn first to the white marble altar with its mosaic of the Lamb of God, and then up to the Tree of Life in the apse above the font. As we go deeper into the church, our eyes are drawn further up to wonder at the colors, gleaming gold and streaming light. Saints and angels gaze down upon us. And at the top of the main arch, Christ reigns in serene glory and we are awestruck by the beauty all around us.
The unique design of Saint Clement Church follows the canons of Byzantine art with symbols of the heavens and divinity in the highest sections, images of saints and sacraments in the transitional middle areas, and images of creation on the ground level, where the community gathers around the altar, ambo, and font.
We offer tours of the church for any who may be interested, including private groups. Contact Gabriel Mayhugh for more information.
Arches and Barrel Vault
Arches and pendentives, the triangular forms between the great arches, transfer the weight of the dome to the piers that support it. The art in these transitional sections expresses the many ways that the wisdom of God is revealed to us. As we stand on the floor and look up the hierarchies unfold: saints, evangelists, apostles, prophets, angels, Mary, Clement, and Christ.
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Arches and Barrel Vault
Artist
For many years little was known about the Reverend Gleb Evgeniovitch Werchovsky who was selected by the founding pastor, Msgr. Rempke, to design and decorate the interior of Saint Clement Church. Shortly after the renovation of the church in 1988, Fr.
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Artist
Baptistery
Beneath the Tree of Life, in the apse of the church, is the baptistery. The art around the font is a visual image of the church into which we enter through baptism: apostles, angels, sacraments, saints.
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Baptistery
Borders and Design
Heavenly Splendor
A profusion of foliate borders and geometric designs, interlaced medallions and stars – over thirty-one stencil designs upon a gold background – cover the walls, ceilings, and other spaces, creating an aura of golden splendor.
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Borders and Design
Church Bells
The bells were originally designed in 1938 to swing back and forth or they could be struck with hammers, depending on the purpose of the ringing. The original ringing equipment was updated in 1984. Unfortunately, the bells no longer swing due to the age of the yokes that support the bells.
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Church Bells
Church Center
In the center of Saint Clement Church, angels gaze down upon the altar, where the Mystical Body of Christ, the church, celebrates the Eucharist and gathers for prayer. It is at this center point where we visualize our prayer rising to the heavens.
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Church Center
Evangelists
The traditional figures of man, lion, ox, and eagle near each evangelist correspond to each one's Gospel. The same four creatures are associated with Ezekiel's vision of the fiery wheel, and are also described in Revelation singing before the throne of God.
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Evangelists
Organs
Saint Clement is fortunate to have two fine mechanical action pipe organs in the upper church. The main organ in the gallery, and a small portable organ in the front of the church.
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Organs
Saints
The community of Saint Clement worships among a cloud of witnesses – surrounded by more than one hundred saints whose portraits, mosaics, and statues grace the church.
The saints are usually depicted against a gold background, evoking their place in heavenly glory. Often the image includes an identifiable attribute, an object that represents a particular aspect or unique quality of the person.
Saints
Shrines
Places of devotion call us to an awareness of the mystery all around us. Three shrines of saints, where people leave flowers, lit candles, and prayers, and the Stations of the Cross are such places in Saint Clement Church.
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Shrines
Tree of Life
The Tree of Life painting in the apse above the baptismal font is a replica of the twelfth-century mosaic in the apse of San Clemente in Rome.
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Tree of Life
Windows
High in the transepts and the nave, three rose windows and the figurative windows in the clerestory are metaphors for the light of the creative, saving, and sanctifying love of God.
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