Ruthenian Catholic Church Paint Analysis
Saint Mary’s Ruthenian Byzantine Catholic Church
Featuring large floor to ceiling dalle de verre windsows, the church is an example of the body of work of Cajetan J. B. Baumann, a Franciscan monk and architect who pioneered this type of glass technique coupled with Modern compositions in religious architecture. The iconography showcased inside the church and the exterior mosaics are rare for Byzantine churches in America, and therefore the artwork contained within is a significant asset to preserve the byzantine rite heritage.
The church underwent an intervention in 1987 to 1988 which altered the interior colors and added a fixed glazing on the exterior of the dalle de verre windows. The scope of this proposal targeted the interior of the church, conducting a paint analysis and coating cross section analysis in Bio-plastic resin blocks coupled with archival research to restore the interior to the colors of its period of most significance.
Current appearance of the interior of the church, with the 1980s alterations in color and darker frame of the dalle de verre windows.
Proposed palette after paint analysis, restoring the church to its period of significance at the time of its dedication in 1963.
