Help Save America's Largest Collection of Fresco Paintings.
The St. Ann's Church was built between 1913 and 1917 by French Canadian immigrants to serve the religious & social needs of the community. Built in modern French Renaissance style, the building exhibits all of the rich classical details of Romanesque architecture. In the 1920's, over 40 stained glass windows, designed and produced by French artists, were installed.
The interior walls, vaults, and ceilings of the church were completely covered in fresco paintings by Guido Nincheri, a native of Florence, in the style made famous by Michelangelo and Raphael. In many ways, the themes and extent of the paintings are reminiscent of those in the Sistine Chapel in Rome.
When the Diocese closed and sold off St. Ann's Roman Catholic Church in 2000, former parishioners worked with art lovers to step in and save the building that had been a second home to so many poor French Canadian immigrants and mill workers since the early 1900s. In the 1940s, an Italian artist, Guido Nincheri, used members of the community as his models to create the largest collection of fresco paintings in North America.
The St. Ann Arts and Cultural Center is a non-religiously affiliated, non-profit corporation dedicated to the preservation and restoration of the former Historic St. Ann's Church located at 84 Cumberland Street, in Woonsocket, RI. It is a recognized Nonprofit 501(c)(3) and Public Charity 509(a)(2) organization. The Center's mission is to develop multiple venues of adaptive reuse for this endangered and irreplaceable, artistic and historical asset, thereby ensuring its preservation while creating a wonderful resource for the surrounding communities.
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Arts & Entertainment, Art Galleries, Community Resources, Charitable & Civic Organizations, Community Centers
