THE SISTINE CHAPEL

by Denise Duhamel

My mother’s bridesmaids wore dresses with maroon bodices and maroon velvet leaves sewn onto the skirts. Saint Ann’s Church had a ceiling full of angels. Their faces were those of 475 locals who posed for artist Guido Nincheri in the 1940’s. In return, each model received 25 cents and a peanut butter sandwich. In 2020, Yankee Magazine called St. Ann’s “The Sistine Chapel of America.”

My parents were not married in Rome or Florence, but the mill town Woonsocket, RI in 1959. The dresses mimicked poinsettias because the wedding occurred the day after Christmas, the only day the relatives, who worked in factories and bakeries, could attend.