"Busco Church on the Brink: Part 3 Angelo Gabiele Metallo

Feb. 25—CHURUBUSCO — The Immaculate Heart of Mary Church's walls are adorned with the ecclesiastical paintings of Angelo Gabiele Metallo of Italy.

Clinton County Historical Association President Geri Favreau broached his name with Mick Jarvis of the Chateaugay Historical Society.

Favreau made her first communion at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church.

It's where she was confirmed and sang in the choir.

"My mother was part of the Altar and Rosary Society," Favreau said.

"I can remember helping her to clean the altar. We used to have relief time classes there in the summer."

Favreau is excited to learn from Jarvis, a Chateaugay historian, about Metallo, the artist who did the murals in Immaculate Heart, formerly known as St. Philomena's.

"He's an ecclesiastical, Italian artist, and he's a professor," she said.

"He's done extensive work. He was born in Italy. He did some work in a church in Holyoke, Mass., St. Patrick's Church in Rouses Point, the church in Churubusco, Church of the Assumption in Gabriels, Notre Dame in Ogdensburg.

"He has an amazing history. It would be a real shame to see his work in Churubusco be destroyed. It's a prominent building. It's very unique. The church really defines the community. I think if our group (Churubusco Heritage Preservation) can find a way to save the church and work with this purpose, it will bring things into Churubusco."

PAPER TRAIL

Metallo's name came up in a conversation between Jarvis and Rosemary Green, who is working on a history of St. Patrick's Church.

"Because the 100th anniversary of laying the cornerstone will be this July, his name kind of came up in a conversation there," he said.

"I came across an article as well in the Chateaugay Record. Rosie and I talked, and she wondered if he had done anything in Chateaugay in the early years of the church's construction. We did some research and couldn't find anything that tied him to St. Patrick's, but I did find other references to Churubusco, to St. Philomena's."

Jarvis gleaned nyshistoricnewpapers.org, newspaper.com and Ancestry.com to write "Angelo Gabiele Metallo — Ecclesiastical Painter: His North Country Presence," a work-in-progress.

Metallo's story begins in Calitri, Avellino, Italy, which is 85 miles east of Naples in southern Italy. Born in Calitri on December 20, 1878 to Vincenzo and Maria Caserta Metallo, he appears to have had four or five brothers and one sister.

Two of his brothers, Giovanni (the eldest) and Gerardo (the youngest) also came to the states. Both remained here and died in Mount Vernon, N.Y. and Stamford, Conn. respectively. The rest of his siblings remained in Calitri throughout their entire lives, according to Jarvis.

"I knew Geri was involved with the group concerned about the ultimate fate of the church in Churubusco, so I said to myself, well I'm going to write this up and get it all together and try to source it," Jarvis said.

"I will say, there are gaps in my account. I know there's more information out there, but I just didn't get to it. What resulted is, I think, an outline of his life from the time he came here."

COMMISSIONS

In 1914, Metallo did paintings in the Sacred Heart Church and the Mater Dolorosa Church in Holyoke, Mass. He sailed to Italy, where he had been commissioned to paint copies of works displayed in Venice and Rome with permission of the Catholic Church hierarchy.

Though Metallo was granted permanent resident status, he regularly returned to visit his wife Beatrice Belline (or Bellino) in Italy where he died Dec. 31, 1949.

In 1926, he did more work in Sacred Heart Church and its Knights of Columbus Hall in Holyoke. He also painted a copy of "The Darkest Hour;" a scene depicting George and Martha Washington in the Potts home, discussing the dire situation at Valley Forge during the American Revolution.

Metallo returned to Italy to enlist in the Army in World War I. He designed a monument to "The Great War" soldiers in his hometown. Because of his service and efforts to recognize veterans, he was awarded the Cross of Cavaliere by King Victor Emmanuel of Italy.

1920S AMERICA

Metallo returned to the states on Aug. 23, 1920.

On March 10, 1924, the Boston Globe reported that Metallo had just completed two months of work at St. Casimir's Lithuanian Church in Westfield, Mass.

He had adorned the walls and ceilings with scenes of "Christ in the Garden of Mount Olive", "The Sermon on the Mount", "The Death of St. Joseph", and "The Blessed Sacrament in the Heavens."

In March 1928, Metallo came to the North Country.

"He had been working here in the states," Jarvis said.

"I don't think he was trying to move into Canada. I think he was investigating opportunities to do some work in churches up there. The newspaper article wasn't really clear. It just said there were problems with his, I don't know if it was his passport or what they had at the point for immigration papers."

Metallo was forced to wait in Rouses Point for his entry into Canada to be resolved.

"Then, he paid a visit to St. Patrick's Church in Rouses Point, and they had just completed the construction," Jarvis said.

"It was pretty bare. So, he took it upon himself. I guess he must have enjoyed the town, and rented a place to live waiting for the immigration thing to be resolved. and he made a proposal to the board of trustees at St. Patrick's in Rouses Point, and they accepted it. He kind of settled in there."

Jarvis found references to people who visited Metallo.

"And of course, all the small town papers back then, and up until the '50s I guess, would publish everything like John Smith was visited by so-and-so," he said.

"So, he was mentioned even a couple of times like that. So he was obviously becoming a pretty recognizable member of the community in Rouses Point."

PROFESSOR METALLO

The Chateaugay Record issue of Aug. 17, 1928, reported that "Professor" Angelo Metallo (as he was referred to by then) was awarded a contract to decorate St. Philomena's Church (Immaculate Heart of Mary) in Churubusco. That work in Churubusco continued throughout the fall and early winter. By the middle of January, 1929, the project was complete.

The Pastor, Fr. Landry, was described as "delighted" with the work and the final results.

"He did a chapel in Gabriels," Jarvis said.

"While he was still in Rouses Point, he opened up an office in Ogdensburg and ended up going out there to work on the church of Notre Dame. He had a pretty impressive presence here in the North Country."

Jarvis said there are many gaps in Metallo's timeline, for instance, where was he between Scranton and Connecticut?

"I'm hoping that what I was able to give Geri in that compilation is some more information that helps to point out how significant the church in Churubusco is," he said.

"(Isaac) Johnson, that is a story in and of itself right there.

Between Metallo's story and his part in the church, and Isaac Johnson's role in the church being the master mason and his story, I think they combine to tell a very powerful narrative to add to the importance of the church itself, of the structure.

"It has noteworthy features that, I agree with Geri and her group, boy, it would be to me a travesty just to see it destroyed or neglected to the point where it just fell down or whatever."

Email: rcaudell@pressrepublican.com

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