Centuries-old angels discovered beneath layers of paint in Boston church made famous by Paul Revere

Mural conservators are working to discover 20 angels hidden under layers of paint for more than a century in the boston church made famous by Paul Revere.

Gianfranco Pocobene has been working on top of the Old North Church scaffolding to discover eight of the 20 angels that were hidden.

Angels painted with childlike faces and wings were once among the defining features of the Old North Church, the oldest church building in bostonwhen they were painted around 1730. But the angels in 1912 were painted with thick layers of white paint as part of a renovation that restorers are trying to reverse.

“When we first looked at the project six months ago, we had no idea what was here,” Pocobene said as the church prepared to unveil eight of the 20 angels.

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU OF ISRAEL WISHES MERRY CHRISTMAS TO CHRISTIANS AROUND THE WORLD

“It’s really been a revelation to find these really interesting, historic works of art on the walls of the church that no one has ever seen in our lifetime,” he continued. “To be part of a project where we reveal something about colonial America is truly extraordinary.”

He Old North Church It is best known for the two lanterns that hung from its bell tower on the night of Paul Revere’s voyage in April 1775 to warn of the approaching British army. Revere was also a church bell ringer as a teenager.

“For much of the history of the church, people who came here to church would have seen those angels, they would have seen the colorful interior,” said Emily Spence, associate director of education at Old North Illuminated. Old North Illuminated operates the church as a historic site.

“The color scheme was an important part of the identity of the people who worshiped here as members of the congregation of a Church of England church,” he said.

Spence said efforts to restore the sandstone and teal angels began in September, with eight completed this month and another eight expected to be completed by spring.

Researchers knew, based on the historical record, that the angels were still on the walls and they still have a copy of a contract signed with John Gibbs, a member of the congregation who painted them. A paint study conducted in 2017 confirmed that they were still on the walls.

Corrine Long, a paintings conservator who works with Pocobene, said one of the challenges in restoring the angels was removing seven layers of paint without damaging them. Conservators first applied a solvent gel to soften the paint layers before manually removing them with a plastic scraper. They then cleaned the angels with cotton swabs and touched them up to remove any signs of damage.

“They all have their own character, they are not copies,” Pocobene said. “The artist John Gibbs painted them individually and they are all in different poses, which gives them a really wonderful kind of rhythmic pattern on the surface of the church.”

MINIATURE BIBLE DISPLAYED IN TIME FOR GUESTS TO READ THE CHRISTMAS STORY

Long said one of the most satisfying parts of the project was returning parts of the church to what the founders had intended.

“Every time I walk into a building with history, I’m surprised to be surrounded by paintings or the decorations that were originally there,” she said. “When it’s repainted to be white, it takes away some of that majesty and some of that history.”

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

On a recent day, the church was virtually empty except for conservatives. But a couple of tourists, Sean Dixon and Sarah Jardine from California, were also there and walked the hallways and looked at the scaffolding that somewhat obstructed the view.

“I was a little surprised 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.