Rare fresco in danger of being lost

September 6, 2009 at 12:00a.m.

CLEVELAND (AP) — A rare religious fresco painted 63 years ago by an Italian immigrant known as “the Michelangelo of Cleveland” is in danger of being lost as the Catholic Diocese downsizes.

Romeo Celleghin, who settled in Cleveland in the early 1920s, painted dozens of churches in northeast Ohio. He said his greatest work was a fresco at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Lorain, a 103-year-old parish scheduled to close Dec. 13.

Cleveland Bishop Richard Lennon announced a plan in March to reduce the number of parishes in the diocese by 52. Many old, inner-city parishes have shrunk as the population of Cleveland has decreased through flight to the suburbs. The diocese has said that 42 percent of parishes are operating in the red.

Celleghin’s 1946 piece features God the Father, Son and Holy Ghost flanked by ornately cloaked saints and angels in a field of clouds and stars.

“When I first saw it, I said, ’Wow, this is spectacular,”’ said Mike Tevesz, director of the Center for Sacred Landmarks at Cleveland State University, which studies and educates the public about the values of urban churches. “It’s very powerful, very moving.”

Removal of the fresco from the Lorain church would be costly and complex, said diocese spokesman Robert Tayek. But he said the diocese hopes to find a new owner for the building who will preserve the fresco.

“Our intent for a closed building is to further its use by finding a purpose that will serve the community, not to raze the structure,” he said.

A fresco is painted on wet or dry plaster, and is a dying art because it’s costly and time consuming.

Some parishioners at Holy Trinity have been taking pictures of the fresco, as the church’s closing date draws near.

“We want to have a record of it,” said Len Zilko, who was baptized in the church 61 years ago. “It’s really a shame to lose this. Sometimes I wonder what the diocese is thinking.”

Celleghin also painted elaborate murals at St. Emeric in Cleveland, St. Ladislaus in Lorain and St. Hedwig in Lakewood, all of which are scheduled to close.