PITTSTON — Churches are built to be places of spiritual inspiration, but when Dupont native Jan Lokuta looks at the buildings that house local congregations, he sees a different sort of inspiration: the creative kind.
Lokuta will lead a congregation of his own to five Pittston churches on June 4, starting 9:30 a.m. with St. Michael’s Byzantine Catholic, 205 N. Main St., before visits to First Presbyterian, First Baptist, United Methodist and St. John’s the Evangelist. Lokuta has administered historic tours of area churches since 2008, but June 4’s pilgrimage is aimed at those who see things through the artist’s eye.
“I’ve always admired architecture, specifically the church architecture,” said Lokuta, an artist who sometimes attends Wyoming Valley events with unpainted local landscapes for young people to collaborate on. “It’s impossible not to notice the churches. I’ve always made it a point to inform people about the everyday beauty that’s right there, if you only take the time to appreciate it.”
Lokuta said each of the stops on his tour has its own personality and its own highlights for artists to photograph, sketch or otherwise capture.
“The interior is a dazzling combination of stained glass windows in the western artistic style and icons in the eastern artistic style,” Lokuta said of St. Michael’s. “It’s supposed to convey the sense of one traveling to heaven.”
First Presbyterian and First Baptist are described as more simplistic in their designs by Lokuta; the highlight of the former being its “massive” pipe organ and the latter its sea shell motif, a reference to baptism.
The fourth stop, United Methodist, is outfitted with decorative stained glass that pull visitors’ gazes up to the stained glass dome that’s situated directly above its sanctuary.
St. John the Evangelist serves as the trek’s final destination. Monsignor John Bendik self-identifies as “not an artist,” but his 23-year tenure with the church means he’s well-versed in what makes the building special. Bendik made note of the church’s marble altar and rose window, as well as its collection of canvas paintings, which includes one he described as a oddity.
“It’s the dying of Mary and Joseph, and Jesus around his bed where he’s dying,” Bendik said. “You don’t see that too often in a parish church.”
The Star of David, a symbol of Judaism, is one of St. John the Evangelist’s most prevalent artistic features; it sits above the church’s entrance as a reminder of Christianity’s roots in Hebrew scripture. It’s just one example of the artistic inspiration waiting for creatives on Lokuta’s tour.
Interested artists can sign up by contacting Lokuta at 570-296-6471 or 570-296-2181 during evenings. Lokuta will also be available from noon to 5 p.m. April 22 at Pittston History Day, held at Pittston City Fire Headquarters, 20 Kennedy St. The tour is limited to 20 people, first come first serve. Participation is free, as is any inspiration found along the way.
