Murals of the Basilica

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"Carrying the Cross"

The first two panels of the south side of the choir introduce the passion of Christ and Mary’s participation in that passion. The composition of the first panel, “Mary Meets Jesus as He Carries the Cross,” emphasizes the face of Jesus by placing it where the beams of his cross intersect. His eyes are sunken, his face strained, as he looks upon his mother who beholds her suffering son.

To one side of Jesus  one of the holy women who followed Christ supports Mary. On the other, an angry man with a whip drives Jesus forward, followed by a young boy, carrying the titulus (the “title” of Christ, to be affixed to his cross at His Crucifixion) and a basket of tools.

At the foot of the Blessed Virgin is an upright stone engraved with the letter E, a small cross, and the date, 1894. The “E” may indicate that Fr. Lucas Etlin, OSB, was the painter of this mural.

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