St. Ann's Arts and Cultural Center

Elite '09

44

313

Eric G.

Berkeley, CA

1/29/2008

The Sistine Chapel of Woonsocket

Sounds like an oxymoron like- "Great Philosophers of Central Falls"

But surprise: the interior reveals amazing Italian frescos on the ceilings and walls of this former Roman Catholic Church. The combined area of frescos is greater than the actual Sistine Chapel, and may surpass the largest frescoed structure in the world- The Wurzburg Palace in Germany.

The frescos were painted in the arduous and painfully slow Italian tradition and the colors are vibrant and the scenes are full of imagery. If that isn't impressive enough, the stained glass windows were imported from Chartres, France where they know a thing or two about that. Gorgeous stuff.  

Sadly the church went from a peak of over 10,000 parishioners to a complete shutdown. The church sold the building for 1 dollar to the cultural center, a non-profit group. These cool people are the caretakers for these delicate works of art. One small roof leak can cause irreparable damage. The heating bill and upkeep is an enormous undertaking. These people are saints.  

Check out their schedule of events. They do nice shows like dinner theatre and offer tours of the building. Try a tour, you will be amazed at the amount of history that goes way beyond the walls.

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