Salem statues transferred

For more than 65 years, the seven-foot statue of the Virgin Mary has stood in the center of a grotto at the former St. Mary’s Church, hands clasped in prayer, overlooking a small patch of grass and, farther beyond, downtown Salem. On a warm afternoon last week it was suspended in midair, silently swinging as a crane operator gently lowered it to the ground. Pictured: Stonemason Fabio Bardini guided the WWII-era, 1,800 lb. statue of the Virgin Mary during its moving process from the grotto outside of St. Mary's Church in Salem to his local workshop for repairs.
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Steve Rosenberg, Globe Staff
For more than 65 years, the seven-foot statue of the Virgin Mary has stood in the center of a grotto at the former St. Mary’s Church, hands clasped in prayer, overlooking a small patch of grass and, farther beyond, downtown Salem. On a warm afternoon last week it was suspended in midair, silently swinging as a crane operator gently lowered it to the ground.

Pictured: Stonemason Fabio Bardini guided the WWII-era, 1,800 lb. statue of the Virgin Mary during its moving process from the grotto outside of St. Mary's Church in Salem to his local workshop for repairs.