Monstrances for the National Eucharistic Congress of Chile

A suite of twenty-eight sunburst and cross shaped monstrances, one for each of the Chilean dioceses. The design is charged with symbolism by way of motifs of evocative simplicity, carved by hand in silver and revealing large pieces of lapis lazuli, the national stone of Chile. Carving reveals the shape of the map of Chile pierced in the monstrance stem. In the cruciform shape, we find openwork schematic shapes depicting the natural environment of Chile: the sea on the left, the Andean peaks on the right and, in a spiral design, the sky with a five-pointed star representing the Virgin Mary. The base features, engraved in champlevé enamel, the phrase of St. Alberto Hurtado: “What would Jesus do?” The figure of the saint, prepared for an opening with a 16 cm diameter, is made of gilded silver. The sunburst consists of a drum enameled in red, around which there are twenty-eight rays ending in stars, representing the dioceses of Chile.