Stations of the Cross

Reproductions of IHM Stations

The originals of these Stations of the Cross were placed in IHM around 1900-1920. They are lithographs of paintings by L. Morgari (1857-1935). Each had a heavy wooden frame. These stations were removed from the church during the 1949 renovations and replaced by a more modern set of Stations of the Cross. The little wooden cross 'tops' of the wooden frames were retained, hanging above and numbering the 'new' stations.

The originals are lithographs and were stored in the previous rectory* basement for many years, until it was emptied to make more classroom space. Then each of the 14 frames and prints were to be sold separately. Polly Renaut's husband (Francis Renaut) decided to buy them all, in order to keep the set together. As nearly as we can determine, they are about 100 years old. The natural fading and yellowing processes have left them quite dull. The moves and storage have resulted in some tears, surface cracking, and discoloration.

Some stations needed a lot of cleaning and repair before being photographed and reproduced. Artist Nancy Stamm in Carlisle, who has done a number of painting restorations, was given the task of cleaning and retouching these. Roy Wainwright photographed the stations and used computer photo retouching tools to restore the colors and remove tears and spots. The resulting images were printed and put into the original frames. The complete set was put back in the church for Lent 2012.

We owe a debt of thanks to Polly, her late husband Francis, and son Dale Renaut for preserving and sharing these wonderful pieces of IHM history.

*the rectory was on the other side of the cemetery; it was demolished some years ago.

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