Donatus Buongiorno’s
Church Murals
Donatus Buongiorno painted murals and other decorations in eight churches in three cities in the northeast United States from 1911–1919. The churches were all Roman Catholic with Italian and Italian-American parishes, many being Neapolitan southern Italians like Buongiorno. They were housed in both newly constructed and reused buildings.
The murals, listed below, are of religious subjects. In the churches run by Franciscan orders, the murals include images of, or scenes from the lives of, early Franciscans—St. Francis of Assisi, St. Anthony of Padua and St. Clare of Assisi (in Italian: San Francesco, San Antonio, Santa Chiara). In churches run by Scalabrinian fathers, the murals often include images of the Scalabrinians’ patron saint, Charles Borromeo.
Boston
"Apotheosis of the Evangelist"
Church of St. Leonard of the Franciscan Fathers
Boston, Massachusetts
painted 1911–1913
"St. Charles Borromeo"
Church of Sacred Heart
Boston, Massachusetts
painted 1914–1915
"The Holy Trinity"
Church of St. Peter
Boston, Massachusetts
painted 1916–1917
"Episodes of Christ and St. Charles Borromeo"
Church of St. Lazarus
East Boston, Massachusetts
painted 1918–1919
Brattleboro, Vermont
"Fall of the Angels"
St. Michael’s Catholic Church
Brattleboro, Vermont
painted 1914–1915
New York
"The Apotheosis of St. Clara" (sic)
St. Clare's Church
New York, New York
painted 1916–1917
"Our Lady of Peace"
Church of Our Lady of Peace
New York, New York
painted 1916–1917
"Principal Episodes in the Life of Christ, of St. Francis of Assisi, and of St. Anthony of Padua"
Church of the Most Precious Blood
New York, New York
painted 1916–1917
How were the churches documented?
American Art Annual was a yearly publication covering art museums, arts centers and art educational institutions, as well as artist listings, obituaries, book and magazine publications, auctions and other news related to the artistic community.
Founded in 1898 by New York artist, art educator and art administrator Florence Nightingale Levy, in 1913 it became the official publication of the American Federation of the Arts, an organization with which Ms. Levy was associated for many years. Later, she sold the publication to another publisher and it continues to exist today as two separate publications: Who’s Who in American Art and American Art Directory.
Donatus Buongiorno was listed in the directory from 1907 to 1925. The first appearance of the entry above, his most comprehensive, was in 1919. As the listing does not change from 1919 through 1925, the date of his last listing, it is assumed to be a complete listing of his church commissions completed in the United States.