Baltimore native Joseph Sheppard has painted public figures including former President George H.W. Bush and filmmaker John Waters, and his portraits can be found in government buildings, churches and galleries.
But his latest work of art will be in the open for all to see: a 7-foot- tall bronze statue of the late Pope John Paul II.
Sheppard's statue will be the focal point of the Pope John Paul II Prayer Garden, a $1.5 million monument and contemplative space planned for the southwest corner of Charles and Franklin streets.
"It depicts the pope at the age he was when he visited Baltimore" in 1995, said Sheppard, who spent much of 2007 working alone on the sculpture at his studio in Pietrasanta, Italy. "It's a very important commission. ... I think it will be very visible."
Catholic leaders will break ground at 11 a.m. April 11 for the prayer garden, which is intended to complement the $32 million restoration and modernization of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary that was completed in November 2006.
The Basilica of the Assumption Historic Trust, the nonprofit group that guided the basilica's restoration, will own and operate the garden, which is scheduled to be finished this fall.
"This garden provides a spiritual oasis in the city and complements a visit to the basilica," said Mark Potter, executive director of the trust. "It is a monument to one of the 20th century's most impressive figures. ... The man most likely will be a saint in the Catholic church."
Besides commemorating Karol Jozef Wojtyla, who was the spiritual leader of more than 1 billion Roman Catholics from 1978 to 2005, the garden is a response to the need for more green space in the city, Potter said.
Although the garden is named after the pope, Potter said, "it's open to all, and I imagine it will be used by all - people of all faiths or of no faith."
The project has been controversial because it is planned for the former site of the Rochambeau apartments, a seven-story, Renaissance Revival building by Edward Glidden that was constructed about 1906 and razed in 2006.
Preservationists argued that the building should be saved as part of the Cathedral Hill historic district. But church leaders said it was not economically feasible to operate and that they wanted to use the property in concert with the basilica. The administration of then-Mayor Martin O'Malley ultimately issued a demolition permit, saying the building was not protected by local landmark status.
