Church Restoration

Daprato Rigali Repairs Damage

Restoration work was completed on the northeast side of the sanctuary this week, as a mural and plaster were repaired due to previous water damage. Saints Peter and Paul retained Chicago’s Daprato Rigali Studios (dapratorigali.com) to restore the area, both structurally and artistically.

Along with a crew, Lisa Rigali—a fourth-generation owner along with her three brothers—made repairs to the area over the St. Peter statue. The artwork features Christ seated on a rainbow (a symbol of God’s promise to Noah), with a globe at his feet. Below him sits the four evangelists (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) writing in books. The painting depicts the Word of God being given to the evangelists for the four books of the Gospel.

“This particular painting didn’t have much damage to it,” says Rigali. “The mural had to be infilled and repainted in a few cracked areas, and water damage below the painting was also repaired and repainted.” The painting itself is done on canvas, which is adhered to the plaster beneath it (see photo). “There were two areas that had cracked,” she says, “so I just had to match the colors and do some in-fill painting.”

Repairs were completed—and the scaffolding removed—before the Immaculate Conception Masses on Thursday, December 8.