Pope John Paul II Statue
Rising over 30 feet in the air with 10-foot outstretched arms stands the world’s largest statue of Pope John Paul II.
The statue occupies a commanding position at The National Shrine of Our Lady at Czestochowa, a Polish Monastery in Doylestown, Pennsylvania.
This first of its kind, this 120-ton Rock of Ages Sealmark granite statue was lovingly hand carved by legendary Rock of Ages master sculptor, Stanislaw Lutostanski.
Granite blocks were specially quarried for the Pope’s statue from the world famous Rock of Ages granite quarries in Barre, Vermont.
“What makes this so special for me”, says Mr. Lutostanski, “is that the Pope is from Poland, my home country. The opportunity for me to handcraft this statue of the Holy Father is like a dream come true.” Representatives of the National Shrine of Our Lady in Doylestown first learned of Stanislaw from his work as the sculptor who carved the 6-foot granite statue of Perry Como in 2001.
Mr. Lutostanski came to the United States in 1981 from Lomza, Poland and has been recognized over the past 20 years as one of North America’s most talented sculptors. When the officers of the Monastery in Doylestown were selecting a sculptor for the Pope John II statue, they considered only one, Stanislaw Lutostanski.
“You have to be able to see a statue inside the block of granite”, says Sculptor Lutostanski, who worked for nearly a year crafting the Pope’s statue. “The degree of minute detail is amazing. Even the Pope’s sash with the Papal Coat of Arms is hand carved in the granite so exquisitely that it can be read”, remarked one of the members of the Monastery.
Rock of Ages maintains the nation’s preeminent memorial sculpture studio in Barre, Vermont, and has 80 design studios and memorial showrooms throughout the country. |
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