Continuing on with our popular before and after series, we turn today to a project executed in part by Murals by Jericho who are located in Peoria, Illinois. They recently pursued work at St. Leo the Great Catholic Church in Demopolis, Alabama. They offer the following commentary:
Here are pictures of our latest project at St. Leo the Great Catholic Church in Demopolis, AL. It's a beautiful church built in 1905, that had undergone a couple of renovations due to fires. The project was initiated by liturgical consultant, Michael Raia of Studio io - Instaurare Omnia, LLC. We completed the design with decorative painting, flooring design, overall color selection, constructed the interior of the new confessional and managed the project on location. Sanctuary furnishings, pews and interior doors were built and installed by New Holland Church Furniture. The beautiful new wood floor is reclaimed heartwood pine installed and finished by Wilkins Wood Floor.Here is a better look at the 'before and after' of the project.
Evidently there are various components that bring the 'after' to a successful completion. For one there is the inclusion of a more traditional altar arrangement with a reredos and altar located behind the main altar, thereby giving the altar better focus. In addition, these new pieces, including the ambo, are of much greater artistic merit than their predecessors.
The other important element, however, is the inclusion of new mural work -- and here is where Murals by Jericho enters in. Replacing the previous wooden structure found in the sanctuary is instead a beautiful diaper pattern made up of fleur-de-lys. In addition to this, the apse is now decorated with a beautiful starry sky crowned by a symbol of the Holy Spirit.
For more information, please see the websites of Mural by Jericho and Studio io.
