The Art of Saint Clement Church

When we enter the upper church of Saint Clement, 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.

The art of the interior was designed and painted by Rev. Gleb E. Werchovsky in 1930 in collaboration with the parish's founding pastor, Monsignor Francis Rempe.

About the Artist – Gleb Evgeniovitch Werchovsky

Born in 1888 in St. Petersburg, Russia, Gleb Werchovsky attended the Academy of Fine Arts there. Through his studies he was drawn to the Roman Catholic Church and converted. He was ordained a priest of the Ruthenian rite in 1914. Werchovsky spent time in Constantinople and Rome, and upon returning to Ukraine he assisted in the preservation of cultural artifacts. In Kiev he married Natalie Evgeniovna von Stein, with whom he had three children.

In 1925, Pope Pius XI assigned Father Werchovsky as liturgical artist to a church in Rhode Island. By 1927 Werchovsky and his family had moved to Chicago, where he designed and painted murals for several churches. In 1929 Saint Clement's founding pastor, Monsignor Rempe, commissioned Father Werchovsky to develop and create the iconographic program for Saint Clement Church.

Werchovsky died in 1935 and is buried in Resurrection Cemetery in Justice, Illinois. His daughter, granddaughter, and great-grandchildren have visited Saint Clement Church and have marveled at the restored art.

IMAGE:
A domed church is an image of the cosmos. The dome represents the vault of heaven, and the square hall below evokes the earth.

IMAGE: (pg 40)
Rev. Gleb Werchovsky designed and painted the art of Saint Clement in 1930.