ST. LOUIS — The “Angel of Harmony†statue outside the Cathedral Basilica was damaged by a vandal tampering with construction equipment, police said Wednesday.
Officers arrested a 35-year-old Christopher Jaros who they found hiding nearby.
Jaros was charged Wednesday with first-degree property damage, first-degree tampering, unlawful use of a weapon, resisting arrest and institutional vandalism.
Jaros lives in the 4400 block of Pershing Avenue, about two blocks from the cathedral, in the Central West End. He is being held without bond.
The sculpture, 14 feet tall and made of welded stainless steel, was installed in 1999 on the cathedral’s lawn between the rectory and the church. It depicts a smiling Black angel protecting three multicultural children playing instruments. More than 100 wind chimes are on the angel’s wings.
People are also reading…
The purpose of the sculpture, by Polish sculptor Wiktor Szostalo, was to introduce people to different forms of religious images — and reflect a theme of racial harmony.
The statue was off its pedestal Wednesday, resting tilted on the ground, as workers planned how to remove it. Part of one of the children on the statue was broken off, and the wings appear to be damaged. Church leaders said they hoped it could be restored. Court records said the statue was valued at more than $5,000.
Police were called to the cathedral at 4431 Lindell Boulevard about 8 p.m. Tuesday after a man was seen tampering with construction equipment. Police found a boom lift had been dropped onto the statue.
According to court files, Jaros used the lift to damage the statue, then walked into an alley and hit a Dodge Ram truck several times with a skateboard; he also hit the vehicle with his hands, feet and a gun, then fired two shots into the vehicle, police said.
Police watched surveillance video and identified a suspect. They saw him in the Central West End, but he ran off, police said.
A police dog, Finn, searched with officers and found Jaros hiding near Euclid and Maryland avenues. He was arrested after a chase. Detectives interviewed the man but haven’t disclosed his motive for damaging the sculpture.
Before the statue was installed, an article in the ºüÀêÊÓƵ Review said it would “emphasize the theme of harmony, peace and racial justice.†according to then-Auxiliary Bishop Edward K. Braxton. In front of the angel were “three children with Hispanic, Asian and European features playing a hymn of peace on diverse instruments,†according to the article.
Its pedestal, made of black African granite, was inscribed with quotes from the New Testament, Pope John Paul II and Martin Luther King Jr.
“The irony, that a symbol of peace would be destroyed like that,†said Lisa Shea, director of community and media engagement for the ºüÀêÊÓƵ Archdiocese.
“It’s my favorite piece, just because of what it means,†Shea added. “I never go by without stopping and visiting, looking at it, re-reading the beautiful caption on the pedestal.â€
The sculpture was a gift from Adelaide Schlafly in memory of her late husband, Daniel.
Braxton, who is now bishop emeritus of the Diocese of Belleville, is one of the few African American bishops in the Roman Catholic Church. He talked about the sculpture in an interview with the Post-Dispatch in 2021. Braxton said that sculptor Szostalo designed and created it but that Braxton had made suggestions, including using the image of Braxton’s brother Cullen Lawrence Braxton Jr. as the face of the angel. His brother had died of cancer at the age of 54 a year before the statue was designed.
Braxton, reached by phone Wednesday, said he was upset to hear about the vandalism.
“I certainly hope that the acts of violence did not suggest a rejection of its wonderful theme of racial, cultural, religious and social harmony,†Braxton said.
Braxton called the statue a “labor of love.†Braxton said Szostalo is in Poland now. The two men keep in touch, and Braxton wanted to speak with him about the damage but was unable to reach him Wednesday.
“I’m very distressed that anyone would have harmed this wonderful work of art,†Braxton said. “I don’t know if it can be repaired because of the unique way in which it was constructed.â€
On Wednesday morning, ºüÀêÊÓƵ Archbishop Mitchell Rozanski said he hoped the statue can be restored.
“The Angel of Harmony has graced the grounds of our city’s Cathedral Basilica since 1999, as a joyful reminder that our diversity is something to be celebrated, that truth, beauty and goodness unite us all,†Rozanski said in a statement released by the Archdiocese.
“We need to be reminded of that daily. We are still learning about the extent of the damage, with great hope that this special sculpture can be restored,†Rozanski said.