St. Mary by the Sea, an integrated and inviting worship space in the Diocese of Orange, California

St. Mary by the Sea is a church of early 20th centurylocated in the diocese of Orange, California. We moved there to carry out this integral reform of the temple.

The objective of the project was to create a integrated and attractive worship space with an altar that would allow the celebration of the Holy Mass in both ways, backwards and facing the people.

The parish wanted the sagrario the center of the sanctuary, thus occupying the place of greatest relevance, and that the carving of the Christ crucified out the dominant image in the presbytery as a whole.

The altarpiece, which houses on both sides two statues of St. Joseph and Our Lady The original parish statue leaves the central space to this crucifix, so that it is the one that receives the eyes of the faithful at the first glance.

In addition to the altarpiece and altar, it was proposed to add a communion rail and a side shrine dedicated to the Divine Mercy.

All the elements made in the workshop are made of wood, varnished or polychromed and enriched with gilded details.

The images of the Virgin Mary in the church as a whole are particularly noteworthy. Holy Trinity and  of the aforementioned Jesus Crucified that surpasses the altarpiece. The Crucifix is a fully carved wooden sculpture, on a background painted with the technique of oil on board.

Above the tabernacle we find an image of the Holy PelicanThe pelican, very common in Christian iconography as a representation of Jesus Christ. In ancient times it was believed that the pelican wounded itself in the chest to feed its young in the same way that Jesus Christ gave his life to save his own. The tabernacle is flanked by two statues of adoring angelspolychromed with glazes that show the natural grain of the wood.