The Cathedral
of saint john the evangelist

The Corona

Suspended twenty-eight feet over the altar is a corona or crown 14 feet in diameter, designed by the well-known Italian sculptor Arnaldo Pomodoro in collaboration with Giuseppe Maraniello, who created the figure of Christ that completes the piece. It is made of fiberglass that has been bronzed and gilded. This piece serves to highlight the altar as the symbolic center of the cathedral. Johanine in its symbolism, it presents a powerful portrait of Jesus, thoroughly incarnate, yet Divine Lord and Master of every moment. His inner glory shines forth, especially at that hour when he is lifted up on the Cross and gives his life for the salvation of the world. The Dove in his open right hand represents the gift of the Holy Spirit, the very life of God, breathed out upon the entire world at the moment of his death on the Cross (John 19:30). The corona can be seen as a symbol of the crown of thorns transformed into a crown of glory radiating from and transforming the sufferings of the Lord’s Paschal Mystery.