The Catholic News & Herald 1
March 1, 2002
March 1, 2002 Volume 11 t Number 24
Inside Strengthen the children, strengthen the parish
...Page 4
Hundreds gather for rite of election
...Page 5
Local News Black History Month projects teach youth unity, togetherness
...Page 7
Understanding of pedophilia remains incomplete
...Page 8
Quilting for a cause
...Page 14
Every Week Entertainment ...Pages 10-11
Editorials & Columns ...Pages 12-13
Lord, you are truly the Savior of the world; give me living water, that I may never thirst again. — John 4:42, 15
S e r v i n g C a t h o l i c s in Western North Carolina in the Diocese of Charlotte
Fresco falls, fragments form puzzle By Joann S. Keane Editor CHARLOTTE — On the morning of Feb. 20, one hour shy of midday Mass, the central portion of a fresco in St. Peter Church fell, leaving the parish community in mourning. Though saddened by the accident, the parish has been quick to rally and begin to pick up the pieces. “We have lost our fresco,” said Jesuit Father Joseph Sobierajski, pastor of the uptown parish of approximately 750 families. “It’s like an old friend that you see every time you come to church, and we are going to truly miss its presence.” Completed in 1989, the fresco has become known well beyond its parish walls and is considered by many as an integral artistic contribution to the Charlotte community. “As far as the greater Charlotte community goes, it has become a landmark on the southern end of Tryon Street for visitors,” said Father Sobierajski. A little over a year from preparation to unveiling, the fresco was set up in triptych fashion. With scenes depicting Jesus’ Agony in the Garden, the Resurrection of Christ and Pentecost, the parish with its fresco provided a place of solace against the backdrop of the vibrant city streets. Individual parts of the triptych took about a month each to complete. While the work was done on site, the preparatory work was done in the artist’s Paris studio. In France, individual pieces were created and transferred to a thin paper, and pictures were perforated. The patterns were then transferred to the walls with a dry substance and painted into fresh plaster. The classic art of fresco dates to the earliest forms of cave wall drawings. In the traditional process, paint is applied upon damp plaster. “Fresco” is the Italian word for “fresh,” indicating that a lime and sand mixture must be made fresh every day, with the surface just damp enough for the pigmented mixture to actually become a part of the wall. Cleanup started with painstaking efforts to preserve some of the larger images. Hopes are high to recover faces encased in the fallen plaster. A team was assembled on Feb. 26 to begin moving pieces of the downed fresco, carefully placing fresco fragments on makeshift tables — special boarding placed over the tops of the church pews. The fallen fresco may hold many
Photos by Joann S. Keane
Pictured above, the central portion of a fresco at St. Peter Church in uptown Charlotte lay in pieces on Feb. 20. Nearly a third of the fresco fell to the floor on Feb. 20. Pictured left, a piece of the fresco from St. Peter Church in Charlotte is saved from the fallen work of art. Cleanup efforts have started to preserve some of the larger images.
secrets on the cause of its demise, and the diocese is in the throes of an investigation into what caused the fresco to break from the back altar wall. The diocese continues to operate in a “fact-finding mode,” pulling in experts to help crack the mystery with specialists from structural engineers to architects. “We need to let the experts
find the facts and come to their best conclusions,” said Father Sobierajski. “In the meantime, we are still a community of men, women and children who love our parish and will continue to give it life.” Contact Editor Joann S. Keane by calling (704) 370-3336 or e-mail jskeane@charlottediocese.org.