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Gesu Roman Catholic Church

2470 Miramar Boulevard, University Heights; constructed 1955. Romanesque.

Exterior: Two local varieties of Indiana limestone (Salem Limestone) are used for the exterior: gray Indiana limestone for the trim and Indiana Oolitic limestone for the entranceway. These two varieties look very similar, however. The limestone at the entranceway is set in large rectangular blocks. There are also carvings sculpted in limestone on the back of the church, on the towers, and at other places. Pink granite is used for the entrance platforms. This stone contains large (2-3 centimeters long) crystals of feldspar. There also are panels of dark-colored "granite" (technically this stone is probably a syenite) above the front doors. This stone is primarily composed of iridescent bluish-gray crystals of feldspar.

Interior: The narthex walls are light beige-colored Roman travertine, quarried in Italy. The floor of the narthex is terrazzo, with borders of mottled red limestone, possibly Tennessee marble. Most of the terrazzo panels are very light-colored, consisting of chips of Georgia marble embedded in a light beige cement. Most chips are white, but some are pink or gray. Golden-colored terrazzo panels are used for borders. These are said to consist of chips of Giallo Siena marble (a golden yellow marble with dark veining, quarried in Italy) set in a light beige cement. Some of the golden yellow limestone chips contain oolites (spherical features that appear circular in cross section) and fossils. The red limestone used for wall borders contains fossil sea-lily stem fragments and bryozoans. The statue of the Christ Child in the room for adults with children, just off the narthex, is sculpted from unpolished Giallo Siena marble. The flooring of the nave and aisles is like that of the narthex. Shrines of the Jesuit martyrs and the Sacred Heart are made from Giallo Siena marble. The statues are unpolished. Borders along the walls of the aisles and wainscoting in the sanctuary is Giallo Siena. Flooring of the sanctuary is Siena marble: square panels of Giallo (yellow) Antico Tipo Convent marble; square borders of Giallo Siena marble, with a richer color than Giallo Antico and with dark veining; and bands and steps of Bianco Argento Siena marble, a white marble with silver-gray and some golden-yellow veining. The pulpit and the baptismal font are Giallo Siena. The main altar is Bianco Argento Siena marble. The reredos, the panel behind the main altar, is Giallo Siena marble. The body of Christ on the cross, located above and just behind the altar, is carved of Onice del Portogallo marble, an onyx from Portugal. The onyx is white and off-white in color. Side altar statues of the Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph are Bianco marble, a white true marble from Italy. The panels behind these statues are made of Giallo Siena Unito marble, a brecciated, slightly lighter marble than Giallo Siena.

References: Anonymous, 1960b.

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The Center for Sacred Landmarks Monograph Series
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From the Center for Sacred Landmarks monograph: Guide To Stones Used for Houses of Worship in Northeastern Ohio (December, 1999) by . Joseph T. Hannibal. Published by the Sacred Landmarks Partnership of Northeast Ohio

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