On September 15, 2016 we visited
St. Mary's Church, one of the two churches where you can see
the most beautiful Fresco Paintings by Ben Long.
the most beautiful Fresco Paintings by Ben Long.
One of West Jefferson’s most visited attractions! The fresco paintings, housed in the Episcopal Parish of the Holy Communion, were created by North Carolina native Ben Long in 1974. Ben returned to the church in 2012 and touched up the paintings that were still in their original state. “Mary, Great with Child,” "John the Baptist," and “The Mystery of Faith” grace the sanctuary. Creations by Long’s students also line the walls of this early 20th century church. These paintings draw thousands of tourists each year in one of the most unique displays of artwork ever created. There is no charge to enter the church.
Definition of a Fresco
fres·co
ˈfreskō/
noun
plural noun: frescoes
- the fresco method of painting, used in Roman times and by the great masters of the Italian Renaissance including Giotto, Masaccio, and Michelangelo.
- Below you will find photos I took of the frescoes and the beautiful stained glass in St. Mary's Church. No words are needed for the pictures...we hope you enjoy them as much as we did.
Frescoes
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| Mary Great with Child |
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| John The Baptist |
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| The Mystery of Faith |
Click here the two Churches, St. Mary's and Holy Trinity Church.
This site tells you about each painting and about Ben Long the painter.
Stained Glass Windows in St. Mary's
I love glass of all kinds especially stained. These were magnificent. The sun was bright
the day we visited too
close up of the window above...look at the butterfly
The details on each window were amazing. You can enlarge by clicking on the
photos
This site tells you about each painting and about Ben Long the painter.
Stained Glass Windows in St. Mary's
I love glass of all kinds especially stained. These were magnificent. The sun was bright
the day we visited too
The details on each window were amazing. You can enlarge by clicking on the
photos
Click here the two Churches with Fresco paintings in West Jefferson, St. Mary's and Holy Trinity Church.
This site tells you about each painting and about Ben Long the painter.
Hari OM
ReplyDeleteOh my word... stunning!!! Absolutely stunning... YAM xx
The frescos are beautiful but I adore the stained glass windows, I have always been a big fan of stained glass.
ReplyDeleteElliot and Cricket x
The stained glass windows are just fabulous! What a fun trip!
ReplyDeleteStunning, what beautiful photos
ReplyDeleteLoves and licky kisses
Princess Leah xxx
The windows and frescoes are beautiful.
ReplyDeletethe paintings are fantastic, I love the 3rd one, the mystery of Faith. the stained glass are magnificent.. and I am thinking on a bright sunny day inside that church would be awesome with light coming through those windows.
ReplyDeleteThose windows are just beautiful!! Stunning!! What a cool place to visit!! Happy Seeing Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThose are such lovely paintings. That must have been such fun to see.
ReplyDeleteMadi that is super beautiful!!!! once the granny had a dogtors appoinment and there was no other choice than to park the mama at the nuns of a catholic church. As the granny came back the nuns said: you will not believe what your daughter did... the granny looked for her checkbook, prepared for the worst... but the nuns said: she wrote a story to the pictures of the stained glass windows, what a creative girl! miracles happen LOL...
ReplyDeleteThose stained glass windows are pawsome!
ReplyDeleteThat is quite a lovely church.
ReplyDeleteLove all these windows. So beautiful!
ReplyDeleteMomo & Pinot
Ben Long did beautiful frescoes and the colors in the stained glass were so vibrant! We are so glad you had a sunny day to shine through!
ReplyDeleteHugs and nose taps,
Kathy and Molly
Wow, absolutely beautiful stained glass windows.
ReplyDeleteAwesome paintings too.
Have a wonderful weekend.
What a lovely church and fantastic stained glass butttt............where's Madi? Raz is pouring over all the photos looking for her!
ReplyDeleteHugs,
your guy Raz and The Florida Furkids
The frescoes are beautiful but the stained glass steals the post for me! Love the woodwork in the church. Of course the sun was shining for you on that special day to view the frescoes and the stained glass! Tell Madi hello!
ReplyDeleteiThat sure is pretty and we love the stained glass!
ReplyDeletemadi...theeze paintings N de windows R awesum ~~~~~~~ de food servizz gurl all wayz envied thoz who could paint///draw......& de werk on de stained glass iz amazing....bet ewe all reddy now which iz R fav !!!☺☺☺
ReplyDeleteheerz two a pineapple fish kinda week oh end ~~~~~~~ ♥♥♥
Wow! Very beautiful. The church looks like a small chapel we visited
ReplyDeleteLily & Edward
Wow....so much beautiful!!
ReplyDeleteSmileys!
Dory, Jakey, Arty & Bilbo
Wonderful windows.
ReplyDeleteMerle.......
Very beautiful! When our pawrents went to Europe our dad took a million photos of the paintings and windows at the great cathedrals. Of course when he got the photos developed they couldn't remember what was where BOL!
ReplyDeleteYour Pals,
Murphy & Stanley
So much beautiful in these pictures!
ReplyDeletehugs
Mr Bailey, Hazel & Mabel
Our mom LOVED those! She especially liked the painting The Mystery Of Faith!
ReplyDeleteGORGEOUS!!!
Cammie!
Those are beautiful frescoes and stained glass windows.
ReplyDeleteSo beautiful! We love the stained glass.
ReplyDeleteWhat beautiful art work in both those churches.
ReplyDelete