Blessed Virgin Mary statue returns to the Mount after yearlong restoration

Jul. 30—The mother that watched over Mount St. Mary's University for nearly six decades has returned to campus after spending a year away to undergo restoration.

The statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the National Shrine Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes was taken down July 7, 2021, after it was discovered that her interior armature was worn out by age and weather, according to Donna Klinger, executive director of communications for the Mount.

The statue returned to its place atop the Pangborn Campanile July 20, 2022. The approximately 26-foot-tall bronze sculpture stands atop a 78-foot tower.

Scaffolding covers the statue while workers adhere gold leaf to its exterior. It is expected to be unveiled sometime in August, with a formal ceremony planned for October.

Dawn Walsh, director of the National Shrine Grotto, said the statue has been missed by faculty, staff, students and the 300,000-some annual visitors to the Grotto.

"She's such an iconic image for them," Walsh said.

Big Hook Crane & Rigging ensured Mary made it safely to the ground and back to her perch. The Union Bridge-based company is owned by Mount alumni, father and son Steve and Brock Gregory, according to Walsh.

ADTEK Engineers, of Frederick, provided engineering services.

The statue was transported by flatbed truck to Manassas, Virginia, where the American Stripping Co. conducted the restoration.

"It's made of hundreds of pieces, kind of like a puzzle," ASCo President James Sejd said.

Workers repaired cracks in the bronze casting, rewelded, and added clips to support the extremities, according to Sejd.

They removed badly rusted steel inside the figure and installed new stainless steel armature.

Getting the materials was a challenge, Sejd said, as the stainless steel took longer to arrive than expected. Approximately nine employees worked on the job at ASCo, he said.

After finishing details, such as lightning protection, and inspections were complete, Sejd said, they needed the perfect weather to send Mary home.

Overall, he said the restoration went smoothly.

Robert Marshall has served as the fine arts and structural conservator throughout the process. He owns R. Alden Marshall & Associates, whose employees are working on the gilding.

On Wednesday, workers began adhering approximately 10,000 squares of gold leaf to the sculpture. Each leaf is about 83 millimeters square, a little larger than 3 inches, according to Marshall.

"The gold is very thin. You have to be very good at handling it," he said.

An adhesive coat is applied to the sculpture about a day before the leaf is attached. Humidity affects the speed at which it sets, according to Marshall.

He estimates it will take eight to 10 days to apply the gold leaf, weather permitting. Three employees are on the job.

The sculpture is quite the undertaking, as there are many recesses in the figure, Marshall said.

The project also included restoring the statue's base, or plinth. Marshall said it had started to split at the bottom.

"It couldn't have lasted another year like that," he said. "The difference is remarkable."

Marshall estimated the statue should be structurally sound for a century, though he said it is difficult to say for certain.

The Mount has raised $400,000 to support the restoration, according to Walsh, and about $450,000 more is needed. Donations to support the restoration can be made to nsgrotto.org/help.

Walsh said the Blessed Virgin Mary sculpture is dear to her and many others who have called the Mount home. Walsh graduated from the Mount, met her husband there and two of her children attended the university.

Walsh remembers the first time she spotted the golden statue. She was in high school.

"I remember the first time I came around the corner on [U.S.] 15, and looked up and I saw the image of Our Lady. My heart leapt. I thought it was so beautiful," Walsh said.

That excitement has remained with her, she said, because of what the Blessed Virgin Mary represents as a mother. Walsh said many people share that sentiment.

That's why the statue's hands are extended, according to Walsh — to welcome Mary's children home.

Follow Mary Grace Keller on Twitter: @MaryGraceKeller