Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Canning performed the historic decorative paint and fine art conservation for the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
BUILDING FACTS
Location: Hanover, PA
Built: c. 1730
Original Architect: unknown
Style: Federal
Status: National Register of Historic Places
SCOPE
Founded in 1730, the originally named Conewago Chapel began as a log cabin-styled building established by the arrival of early English Jesuits in 1741 to the Conewago region – soon to be named St. Mary of the Assumption. From 1785-1787, a new church was built to welcome the increased volume of worshipping members to the Conewago congregation. Under this new construction, the church was dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the first Western Hemisphere parish to bear this honor. To date, the Conewago Chapel is the oldest Catholic Church made of stone construction in the United States. Pope St John XXIII decreed the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Hanover, PA a minor basilica in 1962, formally acknowledging the historic, artistic, and pastoral renown of Conewago.
Completed within a year, the scope of work performed by Canning focused on the historic decorative paint and fine art conservation of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Upon completion of the initial paint investigation, Canning shared findings with Father Dwight Schlaline revealing the Basilica had well-preserved original paint designs beneath the existing decorative paint layers. This wonderful and amazing discovery led to the largest paint exposure our firm has encountered, revealing all decorative paint and fine art designs of the original chapel. The scale of well-preserved original decoration is truly a unique find in the preservation industry.
Some of the key project areas of mention are the Sacred Heart sanctuary ceiling, Assumption of Mary nave ceiling, original Conewago Chapel artist Franz Stecher’s representation of the Trinity nave ceiling, and the North and South transepts featuring the Nativity of Our Lord, Incarnation of Our Lord, and Salvation of Jesus Christ.