“Rich in tradition, we are nourished by Word and Eucharist to live Jesus”
The restoration of St. Francis de Sales Church was envisioned as a way of returning the architectural integrity to the building while continuing to respond to the needs of contemporary Roman Catholic worship. Under the direction of Anthony Kartsonas, owner of Historic Surfaces LLC in Chicago, IL, the restoration artists included Susan Buchholz, Nick Pavlis, Stephan Giannini, and Jeff Wolf.
The interior of St. Francis de Sales was decorated at least three times in its first thirty years of existence. These first three schemes were all executed well enough but it appeared that one of them stood out. The decorative painting and decoration from 1922 best considered the Renaissance style aspects of the church and worked well to enhance and embellish the other elements within the interior. It was for this reason that the 1922 period scheme was used as a guide for the restoration of the interior. The restoration of the interior finishes began with the conservation of the Mural of the Ascension on the Sanctuary ceiling. This was the only element not part of the 1922 period that was preserved. This mural was completed in 1936 and had since been restored and worked on excessively. The goal of the conservation work was to remove all the non-original overpaint to expose the original paint surface and appearance. Once the mural work was completed the decoration of the church was begun, replicating the colors and techniques of the 1922 period. This included polychrome painting, stenciling, hand-painted decoration, glazing and gilding with gold leaf. In addition to all the decorative painting that was completed, extensive repairs were performed on the plaster to ensure a solid foundation for all of the painting and decoration.
Under the direction of Chris Black of Ray Black and Son, Inc. in Paducah, important improvements were made to the outside of the building to weatherproof and maintain its character. All the Stained Glass Windows were improved with cleaning, painting, and the replacement of the protective covering with vented plate glass. The interior had experienced unfortunate acoustical treatment in the upper areas in 1949. This treatment was removed. Later additions to the interior were removed. In the case of the familiar, though of a later date, apostles, these paintings on canvas were relocated to the corridor of the Parish Hall. The overall painting design is meant to complete the interior architecture and design and to offer a more historically correct, complete vision of the church. The pews have been replaced, copying the style of the originals, and the terrazzo floors have been restored. Preliminary provisions for an upgraded heating and cooling system have been made in the church.
The symbols are located in the circle at the top of each window.