Brother Mark Floreanini, O.S.B., one of Saint Vincent Archabbey’s resident artist monks, and Associate Professor of Art at Saint Vincent College, has completed and installed a 12-foot high by 9-foot wide mosaic of the Annunciation, a project that has taken fifteen years to finish. The mosaic, comprised of 30 panels (six rows and five columns) has now been installed in the Saint Vincent Library.

The project was installed in time for the Annunciation, celebrated on March 25. The solemnity marks the angel Gabriel’s announcement to Mary that she would conceive and bear a child, marking the Incarnation. 

Each panel is 24 inches by 24 inches, with about 600 pieces per square. That would amount to about 72,000 pieces of glass in the mosaic. No piece was pre-cut and he shaped each piece by hand according to his design.

This tedious project involves cutting stained glass scraps into quarter to half-inch shapes, arranging them on a board  and then affixing them. In 2022, he had several panels done, but took a sabbatical from teaching to work on it full-time for a semester. When he applied for the sabbatical it was one-third complete. He completed another third or so during the sabbatical, and the final third over the past three years.

“When I began the mosaic,” he said, “I made small jig boards that allowed me and others to quickly and efficiently cut the scraps of stained glass into small squares. In my free time I would cut buckets of scrap glass into these small sizes and separate them into colors.”

In 2010, he said, “I cut all the wood for the entire mosaic that year and put the slits in so that they would connect to each other like old ceiling tiles.  After finishing the first one, (bottom left panel). I thought it was going to take too long and it didn’t look very good to me.  But after a while, I worked on the second panel.  Again, I was new to the process and did not actually know what I was doing.  So I put it away for a while.”

His vision of the mosaic is based on a painting by Renaissance painter Fra Angelico (1395-1455), who adorned the Dominican friary where he lived in San Marco, Italy, with frescoes. Fra Angelico painted several scenes of The Annunciation during his lifetime, and his works are scattered throughout the world in well-known museums and galleries.

Brother Mark’s mosaic would create a counterpart of Fra Angelico’s painting, while incorporating elements from Brother Mark’s vision, including some aspects of Saint Vincent.

First he added an apple for symbolism.

“I know a little Photoshop,” he said, “so I changed Gabriel and used an old photo  of my grand-nephew, Nathan for the face.  I changed the robes also.  Then I changed Mary’ hands and face to a student I had in class in 2009.”

For the Holy Spirit, he said, “I found a dove I liked and changed it out.”

He changed the bed in the background into a bookcase and a lighted menorah.

“In the central window I thought of putting the Basilica in so Mary is looking out at the Basilica. The lily she is receiving was a little sparse, so I made it bigger with more flowers.  I finished the full design in 2013.

“What really helped me to get it close to finished is a sabbatical I was granted” in 2022, he added.  “I did 9 out of 30 panels during that time.  So Christmas, two years ago I was still short 8 panels, one of which was Mary’s face and the Holy Spirit.  Both, very important.  I realized if I died then, it would never be finished and eventually it would just be thrown out since no one would know what to do to finish it.  A confrere got on me to get to it and finish it.  So I did.  I worked on it all winter and decided I was going to have it done by The Annunciation.  God was with me because I got it done and with the help of Father Joe and Father John I got it all installed.”