The Church of the Transfiguration: An Ecumenical Community
The Church of the Transfiguration was built by the ecumenical Community of Jesus in Orleans, Mass. The Church, the Chapter House and the Bell Tower surround the Common. Slideshow photos by Robert Benson, copyright Paraclete Press. Artwork by Gabriele Wilpers, Régis Demange, Alessandra Caprara, Silvestro Pistolesi, Romolo Del Deo, Helen McLean, Daphne du Barry and Community of Jesus Artists. Click images for larger display.
A fountain of celebration springs forth from the center of the atrium.
Adam and Eve are represented on the carved bronze doors, pictured under the shade of the Tree of Life.
The font's position just inside the west door expresses every Christian's initial "step" into the life of the church and the journey of faith.
The apse contains a radiant image of Jesus Christ in a mosiac fashioned from hand-cut pieces of colored glass called "smalti."
The Altar of Botticino marble features doves. The similarity of the doves signifies Christian unity, while individual features represent the particular character of each person.
The Celtic weave pattern on the altar symbolizes eternity.
The fourteen-foot bronze "Angel of the Church" stands atop the bell tower.
As the entryway to the church, the atrium is designed as a place of introduction and welcome. The art surrounding the atrium depicts the opening "days" of creation according to the first chapters of Genesis.
The west wall of the church presents a three-part representation of the Transfiguration of the Lord: the oculus window of fiery reds and yellows; the stone lintel depicting the cowering disciples at the Transfiguration; the shimmering panel of golden and clear glass.
The Community of Jesus gathers daily for the Liturgy of the Hours and Eucharist.
The cross in the Church of the Transfiguration is enhanced with precious gems, expressing the sense of glory and light brought by the death and resurrection of Jesus.
The west wall serves both as the main entry and exit point for the church and as a luminous sentinel for all events that take place within. it.
Emmanuel Chapel serves as a place for quiet, personal prayer and for housing the reserved sacrament.
All of the surrounding elements of the apse mosaic—seraphim, trees, river of life, four creatures opening books, an illumined cityscape, converging sheep—combine to create a lustrous and multifaceted image of Christ in Glory.
The clerestory walls contains twelve murals that chronicle the life of Jesus Christ. The Epiphany fresco depicts the manifestation of Christ to the nations, represented by the Gentile magi.
The Church of the Transfiguration overlooks Rock Harbor in Orleans, MA on Cape Cod.
The Community of Jesus gathers in a procession for Palm Sunday.