Crews Make Special Discovery About Mt. Washington Church's Leaning Cross

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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Crews working to remove a leaning cross from atop a well-known and well-recognized church on Mount Washington have made a special discover.

The cross at St. Mary of the Mount Church was knocked loose earlier this week and was about to fall over.

Once they got it down, crews noticed something beneath the cross' protective tin coating.

"They found out that there was actually gold leaf on it. It was painted, but it was painted over the gold leaf, which was fascinating," said the church's Fr. Michael Stumpf. "It makes you wonder, at what point in time in the history of the church did they say, 'Let's paint over that gold?'"

The cross is being refurbished and the area where it was positioned needs some restructuring before the cross can be reinstalled.