The repurposing of Catholic furnishings from old Churches to other Churches allowed the new Basilica of Saint Mary in Old Town Alexandria, Va, to complete their sanctuary in a fashion suitable for a Basilica.
Before this project’s conception, Rugo had acquired an antique, highly ornate altar rail from the crypt level of a church in Maryland. Rugo often salvages antique church furnishings in hopes of seeing them reused in a new space, and this is what happened here.
Rugo carefully cataloged and dismantled the altar rail, then dry set the rail in our studio, where we determined it was nearly a perfect architectural complement to the existing altars in St Marys.
Rugo developed detailed shop drawings to show how our old railing would be modified, and new solid hand-carved posts would be applied to make the repurposing a perfect fit. Rugo performed all the subfloor carpentry reinforcement and modifications required to absorb the altar rails loads, and also furnished and installed a new marble sanctuary floor and solid steps to compliment the altar rail. The Basilica now has a complete traditional sanctuary fitting for its status as a Basilica.
Location: Old Town Alexandria, VA
Completion: 2019
Owner: Catholic Diocese of Arlington
Architect: Barnes Vanze Architects / St Jude Studio
General Contractor: Rugo Stone LLC
Size: 2,000 sqft
Services: Repurpose antique altar rail and furnish & install new marble flooring
