Treasured Pieta Restored at St. Agnes Catholic Cathedral

Recently, we featured our renewal work at St. Agnes Cathedral in Rockville Centre, NY. A noteworthy part of this project was the restoration of their treasured hand-carved statue of the Pieta from Oberammergau, Germany. This magnificent wood Pieta had been repaired incorrectly many times and had several deep cracks. Rohn & Associates Custom Studio Artist Victoria Cristina had to strip the existing finishes and use tight-grained German oak to fill the fissures. She then cleaned the Pieta and meticulously reapplied the finishes to make it better than new. The body of Christ was enhanced using a lighter finish than those used on the Blessed Mother. Victoria also highlighted Jesus’ loincloth with a striking gold leaf. Once prepared, multiple coats of clear varnish were applied to restore the wood’s original brilliance. Rolf strategically relocated the Pieta from a transept by the entrance door to the adoration chapel within the cathedral to create an inspiring devotional space framed by the Gothic-arched interior. The statue can now be viewed from the assembly for all to see and be reminded that Christ’s crucifixion is not a symbol of death and sorrow but one of hope for mankind gained through sacrifice.  

See the before and after here.