Pope Pius XI - West Springfield, MA
Posted by: neoc1
N 42° 06.366 W 072° 38.403
18T E 695126 N 4664251
The coat of arms of Pope Pius XI is located on the south side of the façade of St. Thomas the Apostle School at 75 Pine Street in West Springfield, MA.
Waymark Code: WM12F48
Location: Massachusetts, United States
Date Posted: 05/14/2020
Views: 1
St. Thomas the Apostle School was constructed in 1932 during the papacy of Pope Pius XI. Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti was elected on February 6, 1922 and served as Pope Pius XI for 17 years until he died on February 10, 1939.
The a stone relief of the coat of arms depicts an eagle with its wings outspread. The eagle's head is turned in profile over its right shoulder. Below are three spheres arranged in a triangle, two over one. The coat of arms is embellished with the papal triple tiara on top and superimposed of a pair of crossed keys. A banner below the coat of arms is inscribed Pope Pius XI
In a full color version of the coat of arms the eagle is black against a gold background and the spheres are red against a silver background. Link
Ambrogio Damiano Achille Ratti was born on May 31, 1857 in Desio, Lombardy-Venetia, then part of the Austrian Empire. He was educated at the Gregorian University in Rome where he obtained doctorates in philosophy, canon law and theology. He was ordained a priest on December 20, 1879. At the Vatican he became Vice-Prefect of the Vatican Library, and in 1914 was promoted to Prefect. He was elevated to the rank of cardinal by Pope Benedict XV on June 13, 1921 and elected pope the following year.