That’s interesting, but we were talking about the average person standing inside who sees a huge painting of Mary and a cross tucked away in the corner.
Whats your point? The altar is dwarfed by the architecture, the carved stone, the stained glass, the lighting, etc. None of that diminishes Christ's central role in the Church or the mass.
An average joe's description of the painting here.
The main focus of the painting is Mary (or Queen Mary as Catholics infer)... she is the centerpiece of the painting, the most highlighted and the whole painting is built around her. The very brightest area seems to illuminate right about Mary's left eye and a few cloud areas around her feet almost forming a halo around her...Mary is lifted on a cloud above everyone else. Almost like a Queen.
Catholic parish churches have crosses —often several—in plain view.
My parish church has a huge cross behind the altar, there is one always displayed during Mass, the procession into the church for the liturgy of the Mass is preceded by a cross-bearer. The mulitple stained glass windows in my parish church have at least a dozen small Celtic crosses embedded in them, as well as the actual depiction of Jesus crucified.
My parish church is also built as a Cruciform.
One of the antiphons the people offer together, vocally, during the Mass is as follows:
“Lord, by your cross and resurrection You have set us free; You are the Savior of the world”
(Another antiphon is: “Dying You destroyed our death, rising You restored our life; Lord Jesus, come in glory”)
The steeple and the cross atop it can easily be seen from points of our valley.
The “average person” may not get to Rome, but if they are Catholic they will certainly encounter the cross often in their own parish where they regularly worship..