The beautiful new Pietà, handcrafted by artisan Edwin Gonzalez, was recently installed in Christendom’s new Christ the King Chapel. An original work that was designed, sculpted, and painted over the course of many months, the Pietà will serve as a powerful reminder of Christ’s Passion and Death for generations to come.
Gonzalez finished painting the statue in Christ the King Chapel.
Inspired by the numerous artistic representations of the Blessed Virgin Mary cradling the body of Jesus, but especially Michelangelo’s, Gonzalez’ Pietà is sculpted from wood. Gonzalez designed and sculpted the Pietà in his studio in Cordoba, Spain, before completing it in the college’s Christ the King Chapel over the course of the past few weeks. Gonzalez painted the Pietà, bringing it to life in a beautiful, powerful way.
The level of detail in the statue is extraordinary.
“I believe that the Lord has a plan for each one of us, and mine is one to give a body, a life to inert materials such as clay or wood,” says Gonzalez. “To be able to create and give humanity to Our Lord is a privilege, it’s an honor to dedicate myself to sacred art. The connection that I want my work to transmit, is to wake up the spirituality of believes, those of us who believe in the Lord…that the work brings us to prayer.”
Gonzalez with the Pietà during its construction in Spain.
The Pietà is one of 10 original life-size sculptures being crafted by Gonzalez for Christ the King Chapel. Soon, the college’s new Christ the King statue will be finished and raised in the Piazza of Christ the King, and other sculptures, including the Death of St. Joseph, Anthony of Padua, and six adoring angels will be finished and installed as well.
To learn more about Christ the King Chapel, visit here.