Mountain Masterpieces: A Guide to the Ben Long Frescoes of Ashe County

In the quiet corners of Ashe County, where the Blue Ridge Mountains meet peaceful valleys, there is an artistic treasure you might expect to find in Florence, not rural North Carolina. Inside the simple wooden walls of St. Mary’s and Holy Trinity churches, the frescoes by Benjamin F. Long IV stand out against their humble setting. These are more than just paintings. They use old techniques, blending pigment with wet plaster to create glowing, lifelike scenes that seem to come alive. Whether you love art or are just a curious traveler looking for a peaceful moment, following this fresco trail gives you a rare and personal look at some of America’s most important religious art.

The Process
Holy Trinity Episcopal Church
St. Mary’s Episcopal Church

The Process

Ben Long IV gave the Ashe County churches their glowing, airy look by using the traditional buon fresco technique. Rather than using modern adhesives, this method relies on a special chemical bond. The process begins by preparing the wall with several layers of plaster made from aged lime putty and river sand. The final smooth layer, known as the intonaco, is applied only to the section the artist plans to finish that day.

Artists mix pigments with water and brush them onto the wet plaster, so the colors soak into the wall instead of just sitting on the surface. As the lime reacts with the air, it forms a hard calcium carbonate layer that seals in the color, helping the art last as long as the stone itself. Before painting begins, the artist makes a full-size charcoal drawing, called a “cartoon,” and transfers its outlines to the wet plaster by either dusting with charcoal or tracing the lines with a stylus.

Only lime-resistant earth pigments are used. These natural oxides, such as ochres, umbers, and siennas, give the Ashe County frescoes their warm, organic glow that reflects the Appalachian landscape. Each part of the work is shaped by the “giornata,” an Italian word meaning “a day’s work.” If you look closely at the walls of St. Mary’s or Holy Trinity, you might notice faint seams where one day’s plastering ended and the next began, showing the artist’s progress through the piece.

Holy Trinity Episcopal Church

Holy Trinity Episcopal Church is a beloved historic landmark in the quiet mountain community of Glendale Springs, North Carolina. The following frescoes are in the church.

The Last Supper: The sanctuary is dominated by Benjamin F. Long IV’s The Last Supper, a massive work that reimagines the biblical scene through the lens of the North Carolina High Country. Long, who studied under masters in Italy, chose to ground this divine moment in local reality by using residents of Ashe County as models for the Apostles. The composition is physically immersive, spanning the entire wall behind the altar and featuring a self-portrait of Long as St. Thomas. The faces carry the weathered, stoic expressions of Appalachian life, bridging the gap between sacred history and the community that restored the church from a state of ruin in the late 1970s.

The Departure of Christ: Located in the church’s columbarium, The Departure of Christ by Jeffrey Mims provides a somber, emotive counterpoint to the gathered energy of the sanctuary. Mims, a contemporary of Long, utilized the same rigorous fresco techniques to capture the transition of Christ leaving his followers. The work is noted for its delicate use of color and the sense of movement within the plaster, guiding the viewer’s eye through a narrative of both loss and spiritual transition. Its placement in the columbarium—a space dedicated to the interment of ashes—deepens the thematic resonance of the artwork, connecting the biblical departure with the personal experiences of the congregation.

Moses on Mount Sinai: Positioned directly above the main entrance at the back of the sanctuary is Charles Kapsner’s Moses on Mount Sinai. This fresco serves as a powerful introduction to the space, greeting visitors with a scene of divine law and revelation as they step through the doors. Kapsner’s work captures the rugged intensity of the Old Testament, depicting Moses at the moment he receives the Ten Commandments. The rocky, dramatic landscape of Sinai mirrors the craggy beauty of the surrounding Blue Ridge Mountains, creating a thematic bridge between the ancient scriptures and the North Carolina High Country.

Mary Magdalene Washing Jesus’ Feet: Also found in the lower-level chapel area is the student fresco depicting Mary Magdalene washing the Feet of Jesus. This work was created by one of Benjamin Long’s students during the original 1980 project, serving as both a piece of sacred art and a testament to the church’s role as a training ground for the fresco revival. The scene captures the moment of humble devotion where Mary Magdalene anoints Jesus’ feet with oil and dries them with her hair. Its presence in the lower level underscores the church’s dedication to themes of servanthood and humility, providing a quiet space for visitors to reflect on the smaller, personal acts of faith.

St. Mary’s Episcopal Church

St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in West Jefferson, North Carolina, is a historic white-frame chapel built in 1905. Its Carpenter Gothic style stands out with white clapboard, green trim, and a red front door. Although it seats fewer than 100 people, the church is one of Ashe County’s most cherished landmarks and draws many visitors. The following frescoes are in the church.

The Mystery of Faith: The largest and most complex of the three, this fresco spans the wall behind the high altar. It serves as a visual representation of the Eucharist and the central tenets of the Christian faith. The composition is multi-layered: it features the Crucifixion at its center, but rather than focusing solely on suffering, it incorporates the “Mystery” of the Resurrection. Christ is depicted in a way that suggests he is simultaneously on the cross and rising from it, surrounded by figures that represent both the historical witnesses of the event and the modern-day congregation. The scale and detail of this work provide a powerful, immersive backdrop for the church’s liturgy.

John the Baptist: Located on the opposite wall, this fresco presents a sharp contrast to the serene Mary. Long depicts John the Baptist as a rugged, visceral figure—a “voice crying out in the wilderness.” With weathered skin, tangled hair, and a piercing, almost haunting gaze, this John is the fiery prophet of the Jordan River. He is shown holding a staff, symbolizing his role as a precursor to Jesus, with the background of the Blue Ridge landscape subtly integrated into the biblical scene. The intensity of his expression is meant to evoke the urgency of his call to repentance. An enduring and unique detail of this specific fresco is a small bumblebee that flew into the church while Ben Long was working; it became trapped in the wet lime plaster and remains embedded within the artwork to this day.

Mary Great with Child: This was the first fresco Ben Long created for the parish, and it remains one of the most poignant. It depicts a young Mary, visibly and heavily pregnant, looking upward with a hand raised in a gesture of humble acceptance and praise. At the time of its unveiling, the work was considered somewhat provocative because it broke away from traditional, more ethereal depictions of the Virgin Mary, instead highlighting her very human, physical state as she awaited the birth of Christ. The warm, earthy tones and the soft light hitting her face create an atmosphere of quiet, expectant joy that anchors the side of the sanctuary.