The angels were painted in the early 18th century but painted over in 1912 as part of a renovation of the Old North Church.

Conservator Corrine Long, of Dover, N.H., top, hands equipment to conservator Gianfranco Pocobene, of Malden, Mass., center, as they climb down scaffolding after working to restore nearly 300-year-old painted angels on the walls of the Old North Church, Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024, in Boston.

The painted angels — with round childlike faces and wings — once were among the defining features of Old North Church when they were painted around 1730.

The Old Church is famous for hanging two lanterns from its steeple on the night of Revere’s 1775 ride to warn of the British army’s arrival.

Conservators have uncovered eight angels in a historic Boston church that counted Paul Revere as a bell ringer and played a pivotal role in the Revolutionary War. The

Centuries-old angels have been uncovered at the Old North Church in Boston, made famous by Paul Revere's midnight ride.