Chapel

Visitors to the Quincy University St. Francis Solano Chapel enter a sacred place and are greeted by a gigantic, awe-inspring vision of Jesus Christ the Pantacrator painted on a golden half dome of the chapel modeled after the frescoes from the 12th Century Cathedral of Cefalu near Palermo, Sicily. The painting inspires and motivates all visitors, and is the spiritual center of the university. The chapel seen today is the creation of the late Fr. Tom Brown, OFM, former art instructor at QU. Brown chose the Byzantine art style to redecorate the interior of the chapel because of its theological underpinnings. The art form downplays the realistic and creates a supernatural, spiritual atmosphere by using deep oriental colors to create dramatic contrasts. Especially inspirational to visitors is the Heavenly Procession frieze which encircles the entire church depicting 70 saints, men on one side and women on the other, moving toward the central figure of Christ, modeled after the famous Byzantine frieze in the basilican church of St. Apollinare Nuovo in Ravenna (6th century). Mass times are daily at 5:15 p.m. Monday through Friday and Sundays at 9:00 p.m.