Capel Salem, Llanbedr facts for kids
Capel Salem is a special old building located in a small village called Pentre Gwynfryn, near Llanbedr in Gwynedd, Wales. It's a Baptist chapel, which is a type of church. This building is considered a Grade II listed building, meaning it's important and protected because of its history and architecture.
The chapel sits on a ridge, about a mile upriver from Llanbedr. It's also about 300 meters upstream from where two rivers meet. Building the chapel started in 1826 and was finished in 1851. Ten years later, in 1861, it was made even bigger to include a house for the chapel minister and to update the inside.
The Famous "Salem" Painting
Capel Salem became very famous because of a painting called Salem. This painting was created in 1908 by an artist named Sidney Curnow Vosper. He was born on October 29, 1866.
How the Painting Became Popular
A man named Lord Leverhulme bought the painting in 1909. He owned a company called Lever Brothers, which made Sunlight Soap. Lord Leverhulme used the painting to help sell his soap. He offered a free color print of Salem to people who bought his soap.
At that time, many homes didn't have much art. So, these prints of Salem became incredibly popular, especially among working-class families in Wales. It was a unique piece of art that many people could own.
The Mystery of the Hidden Faces
As the painting became more well-known, people started talking about a secret. Many believed there was a hidden figure in the painting. The most common rumor was that the devil's face was hidden in the shawl of the main woman in the picture.
People had different ideas about what the painting meant. These ideas often showed how they viewed religious communities in the countryside and how Welsh people saw themselves.
Vosper, the artist, always said he did not paint any faces into the shawl. However, he did confirm that he painted a ghostly face in the window above the main person. This small hint that there was *some* hidden face probably led to the widespread belief about the devil in the shawl. Today, the painting and its hidden faces are often used as an example of pareidolia. This is when your brain sees familiar patterns, like faces, in random things.
The original Salem painting is now kept at the Lady Lever Art Gallery in Port Sunlight.
