St. Aloysius Catholic Church

Beige paint hid a beatific mural in St. Aloysius’ sanctuary for over forty years. Famed ecclesiastical muralist Felix Lieftucher painted the other-worldly firmament in the 1930’s. In the original design, Christ crucified and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass was attended by adoring angels, seraphim, the communion of saints, rich patterning, and the Holy Spirit. In the 1960s the artwork was over-painted.

In 2010, EverGreene conservators were engaged to determine the feasibility of removing layers of latex and oil paint to reveal the lost artwork (which Lieftucher painted directly onto a textured plaster substrate using Keim paints). Conservation testing determined the murals were sufficiently resilient to retrieve using gentle water-based liquid solvents.

EverGreene conservators applied an isolating varnish to protect the historic mural. Microscopy revealed historic colors, which were used to in-paint (using reversible conservation paints) areas of loss and rejuvenate the palette.