Mandy Hain a 2007 graduate of Christendom College in Front Royal, died after a battle with cancer Feb. 7 at age 41.
Hain was raised in Delaware before moving to Front Royal to attend Christendom, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in philosophy. An ardent artist from a young age, she moved to Florence, Italy, following graduation to study painting, drawing, sculpture and fresco. Upon her return to the United States, she continued learning and deepening her love of art, studying with Buon Fresco and the Academy of Wall Artistry, master painter Robert Liberace, master iconographer Vladislav Andrejev, and others. She also studied portrait and figure at Studio Incamminati in Philadelphia.
Hain brought a combination of classical fine art and classical decorative techniques to all her work, including hand-painted ornamentation, gilding, plaster and pained wall finishes, fresco, murals in oil, and iconography. When she was not beautifying a church, she could be found working from her home studio, doing commission portraits and religious art.
It was with children that her real passion for art came alive, however. For years, she taught children’s art lessons, in and around Front Royal, sharing her gifts to raise up a new generation of artists and saints.
“I believe that beauty is not an accessory to our lives, but a necessity through which we are exposed to the Truth,” wrote Hain. “Without it, we cannot live fully in the image of the First Artist and Creator or enjoy life in a fully human way. I believe that every child is an artist because I think that art is a gift with which every person is endowed through their human nature.”
Her work can be seen all around her alma mater, from the St. John the Evangelist Library to St. Kilian’s Café. Her primary contribution on campus, and a great legacy, are in the college’s new Christ the King Chapel. Mandy spent countless hours painting the ceiling of the crossing tower, writing the gorgeous letters of the “Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus,” and providing the gold-leaf detail of the Latin inscription, “This is the House of God and Gate of Heaven” that sits above the entrance to the Chapel.
When asked why she gave so much of her time and talent to the beautifying of the chapel, Hain pointed to the necessity of raising hearts and minds to God through art — a philosophy that was at the heart of her mission here on Earth.
“I believe that it is of the greatest importance that the students, those in the community and any who may wander in having seen it from the highway, be able to worship and meditate in a place of beauty,” she said. “Beauty brings us to its Source and makes us better without effort on our part. It is truly part of God’s order of mercy and redemption in this way. This is a dream I have for the students — that they encounter real beauty within the heart of Christendom, the Chapel of Christ the King.”
She also contributed to St. John the Beloved Church in McLean, restoring the Sacred Heart statue and decorating the cry room, according to Father Christopher J. Pollard, pastor.
Hain leaves behind a legacy of beauty in her many beautiful works of sacred art. She also inspired and enriched the lives of so many through her love of beauty, deep faith, and her loving presence. She will be sorely missed by the entire Christendom community.
