Triumph of Christ

Throughout lands of the former Roman Empire, one will encounter triumphal arches: a very large stone archway supported by two massive stone piers, sometimes with two accompanying smaller archways on each side of the center large one, with a passageway running through it below the arch, but not made for the purpose of supporting any structure above it crossing the passageway.

Rather, these archways were built as commemorations of a military victory of a Roman emperor and his armies, or other significant civic accomplishments or events. One of the most famous of these is the Arch of Constantine, located directly adjacent to the Colosseum in Rome. The impressive majesty has inspired many other people after the Romans to build their own arches, including the Arc de Triomphe in Paris honoring those who died for France in the Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars, and even here in the US in New York City there is the Soldiers' and Sailors' Arch commemorating the victory over the Confederate Rebellion.

You can find triumphal arches in many Catholic churches too! From the earliest days of Christian architecture, when they were finally allowed by the Roman authorities to build the first churches in the 300s, they constructed them with a large arch above the altar directly abutting the apse, the semicircular "head" of the church located behind the altar. These arches, however, were not built to honor the emperors or the glories of conquest, but rather were adorned with an image of Christ, his Blessed Mother, the martyrs, and angels: the Holy Ones who through their sacrifice conquered Satan and destroyed the enemy death (Hebrews 2:14-15), giving victory and glory to God. The apostles in their letters in Sacred Scripture repeatedly refer to Christ's Passion and Resurrection as a military victory, and so it was deemed fitting for the Church to commemorate this great victory in a like manner to the Romans.

In the basilica-style floor plan of churches, this triumphal arch is placed just before one would enter the Sanctuary housing the altar, symbolizing the threshold of heaven and earth, so the faithful are led by Christ's victory along the passageway from the world, through the triumph over death, into eternal life with His very presence on the Altar of Heaven. At OLMC, the architect who designed our church made a nod to these triumphal arches by placing a great arch directly above the tabernacle, housing the living Christ dwelling with us, victorious over death.