Secret 'Sistine Chapel' decked out with frescos in unlikely location

A religion successful New England whitethorn look similar dozens of others from the extracurricular — but it's afloat of surprises erstwhile you measurement done the door. 

The South Solon Meeting House successful Waterville, Maine, is known by locals arsenic "Maine’s Sistine Chapel," according to The Associated Press (AP).

Inside the building, the walls and ceilings are covered successful 70-year-old fresco murals painted by artists successful the 1950s. 

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The gathering location was built successful 1842 and hosted religion services until the 1940s, arsenic AP reported.

In 1951, the bare gathering was discovered by Margaret Day Blake, a erstwhile creation student.

Veronique Plesch, an creation prof astatine Colby College, gives a lecture to creation teachers astir the frescoes that adorn the walls and ceiling of the South Solon Meeting House connected Sunday, April 6, 2025, successful Solon, Maine.  (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Blake reached retired to students astatine Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture and called young artists to overgarment frescoes, said AP.

The artists were told to recreate biblical scenes to "offer affluent and suitable" imagery.

Colby College successful Maine has dedicated a website to the religion describing the assorted scenes and the 13 artists featured successful the building.

Nonagenarians Sigmund Abeles of New York City and Sidney Hurwitz of Newton, Massachusetts were 2 of the artists who contributed.  

A fresco depicting assemblage members with a exemplary of South Solon Meeting House is seen done a model successful the lobby of the gathering connected April 6, 2025, successful Solon, Maine.  (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

"We would spell retired determination and overgarment and past instrumentality a luncheon interruption successful the cemetery down the building. It was a precise idyllic time," Hurwitz told AP. 

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He added, "I precise overmuch enjoyed it."

Abeles, for his part, recalled a country from the Book of Genesis.

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Abeles said helium painted the country of Jacob wrestling with the angel.

He told AP, "It’s a very, precise peculiar place, and it was a unsocial experience."

Veronique Plesch, an creation prof astatine Colby College, gives a lecture to creation teachers astir the frescoes that adorn the walls and ceiling of the South Solon Meeting House, April 6, 2025, successful Solon, Maine.  (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Véronique Plesch, a Colby prof of art, told AP she hopes the gathering inspires much appreciation of frescoes.

"I fell successful emotion with the place, due to the fact that I person studied frescoes each my life," said Plesch.

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The gathering present operates arsenic a assemblage gathering and show space.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.