St. Rita's Catholic Church

Nov 24

Written By Kim Tateo

Client

St Rita's Catholic Church/architect: Harrison Design

Location

Alexandria, Virginia

Dimensions

4'-6"high

Materials

Limestone

Year

2024

You might be surprised by how many majestic stone buildings, that have been in use for decades have elements that were designed to be carved into decorative sculpture but were never realized…even the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan. One such building is Saint Rita’s Catholic Church in Alexandria Virginia. The tympana, above the three front doors had been patiently waiting for enrichment for 75 years. As the 100th anniversary of the congregation approached, it was decided that the time had finally come! I was thrilled when they approached me to do the carving. For over 10 weeks, I set up an on-site carving workshop and along with my assistant, Ed Salerno, I transformed the three blank surfaces into inspiring sculptures, following models that had been provided for reference.