Anaheim's St. Thomas Aquinas Chapel Offers both Architecture and Art

The St. Thomas Aquinas Chapel sits on the campus of St. Catherine's Academy, a Catholic boys boarding school. The campus is closed to the public but the chapel's mid century modern architectural style and interesting mosaics can still be enjoyed from Harbor Blvd. and Cypress Street.

St. Thomas Aquinas Chapel -- 215 N. Harbor Blvd., Anaheim, Ca. 92805

Built in 1957, the chapel was dedicated to Captain William Maguire, the school's beloved chaplain. In 1941, Captain Maguire was preparing to give Mass at Pearl Harbor when it was attacked by the Japanese. He was later featured on the cover of Life Magazine (November 2, 1942).

Mosaics facing Cypress St.

Artist Jan Henryk de Rosen was commissioned to install the artwork throughout the chapel. The Mosaics on the exterior of the chapel are titled, "The Ascent of Truth," and were completed in 1959. The Mosaics depict the great pagan minds of the ancient world and the enlightened prophets and kings of the chosen people.

This statue of St. Thomas Aquinas is located on the south east corner of the chapel. The tile work is common throughout the exterior of the chapel.

Another small mosaic located adjacent the front entrance of the chapel.

Pictured below is the East Wall, which is the wall behind the altar (This wall is always called the East Wall regardless of its actual location). At present, there is not a full time priest assigned to St. Catherine's Academy so priests from nearby congregations will come to the chapel to provide services.

The mosaic on the East Wall is titled, "The Descent of the Holy Spirit," which was completed by De Rosen in 1964. It depicts the 12 Apostles arranged around Mary who is the central figure.

The stained glass windows depict the Creation of the world, Stations of the Cross, and the Sacraments. De Rosen was the design collaborator with Max Ingrand of Paris for this project. Ingrand was a famous French master glass worker and decorator. Ingrand's works can be found all over France and several different countries. The blog Travel Beyond Paris has a wonderful article on some of Ingrand's works. The windows are absolutely beautiful.

The Mural pictured below is titled "The Descent of Truth" and it was completed in 1957. It depicts saints and scholars through whom Divine Truth has been revealed to mankind. The entire mural is about 90 feet long and 13 feet high. Interestingly, Cadets and Sisters were used as models.

Only muted colors were used in the mural so it did not distract from the stained glass windows. St. Catherine of Sienna, pictured below, is the patron Saint of St. Catherine's Academy. If you look closely to the left of St. Catherine, you can see the St. Thomas Aquinas Chapel.

This view of the chapel faces the main entrance to the campus. The students walk around the chapel and use the entrance which faces Harbor Blvd.

I would like to thank the St. Catherine's Director of Development, Mrs. Joanna Ronan, for taking the time to provide me with a tour so I could take these photos of the St. Thomas Aquinas Chapel. She provided me with the information posted in this article, which I hope you enjoyed.