Artists at Boston's historic Old North Church are peeling back centuries of paint to reveal original artwork dating back to the 1700s.
The careful restoration effort aims to uncover the church's hidden past, offering visitors a glimpse of the same walls Paul Revere once knew.
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Old North Church is famous for the two lanterns hung as part of Revere's legendary midnight ride. Now, restoration artist Gianfranco Pocobene and his team are delicately removing layers of paint to uncover four cherub-like angels painted by artist John Gibbs in the late 1720s.
These angels had been lost under years of redecorating.
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"We knew from historic records that these angels existed," said Catherine Matthews, director of education for Old North Illuminated. "But no one was sure if they had survived."
While only a few of the original angels will be revealed, replicas will be created to restore the church's appearance from its early years. Most of the original artwork will remain hidden, potentially for future generations to explore as restoration techniques advance.
The restoration team hopes to have all 16 cherubic figures, both original and replicated, visible by Easter, in time for the 250th anniversary of Revere's famous ride.
Visitors to the church can witness the delicate restoration process in real time as Old North Church works to preserve and restore the long-lost history.
"If you don't know what happened in the past, how do you go forward?" Pocobene asked.
"And hopefully, in the future, somebody will think what we're doing is interesting, too, so that it won't paint over it -- or they might."
Visitors can find more information on the Old North Church's website.
