St. Turibius Chapel

St. Turibius Chapel at the Pontifical College Josephinum was originally graced by a Gerhard Lamers mural, depicting Christ vested as High Priest and surrounded by brilliant angels. Water infiltration affected the mural from its earliest years, requiring Lamers to return several times to repair and retouch the work. By the late 1980s, the mural had been completely covered with battleship-gray paint, while subsequent alterations and furnishings disrupted the visual harmony of the sanctuary and obscured the chapel’s original artistic and liturgical character.

Architect Bill Heyer worked with the Josephinum to address the building’s systemic water infiltration, restore the sanctuary, and introduce new liturgical furnishings that would once again unify the architecture, artwork, and worship space.

As part of the restoration, EverGreene conservators conducted a historic finishes investigation and analysis, carefully uncovering evidence of the original artwork and color palette beneath later paint layers. These findings informed the creation of a new mural that draws inspiration from Lamers’ original composition while incorporating saints with particular significance to the Josephinum and its community.

Designed and painted in EverGreene’s Sacred Space Studio, the new mural was executed on canvas in keeping with the technique of the original. The completed composition restores Christ the High Priest as the visual and spiritual focus of the sanctuary, reconnecting the mural with the chapel’s architecture and liturgical purpose.

The renewed St. Turibius Chapel restored a cohesive sacred interior and a powerful visual expression of the ministerial priesthood at the heart of the Josephinum’s mission.