Mural conservators are working to uncover 20 angels hidden under layers of paint for more than a century at the Boston church made famous by Paul Revere.
Gianfranco Pocobene has been working atop scaffolding at Old North Church, to uncover eight of the 20 angels that have been hidden.
The painted angels with childlike faces and wings were once among the defining features of Old North Church, the oldest church building in Boston, when they were painted around 1730. But the angels in 1912 were painted over with thick coats of white paint as part of a renovation that restorationists are seeking to reverse.
“When we first looked at the project six months ago, we had no idea what was here,” Pocobene said as the church was preparing to reveal eight of the 20 angels.
Recently restored, nearly 300-year-old painted angels, at top right, adorn an arch at the historic Old North Church in the North End neighborhood, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, in Boston. (AP)
Long said one of the most satisfying parts of the project was returning parts of the church to what the founders had intended.
“Whenever I go into a building with history, it amazes me to be surrounded with paintings or the decorations that were there originally,” she said. “When it’s been repainted to be white, it takes away some of that majesty and some of that history.”
One recent day, the church was largely empty except for the conservators. But a pair of tourists, Sean Dixon and Sarah Jardine from California, were there as well and walked the aisles and observed the scaffolding which obstructed the view a bit.
“I was kind of shocked when I first saw it,” Dixon said. “It looks really cool, and I’m really excited to see the full picture once the scaffolding comes down.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
