By SANDY McGEE

WOONSOCKET — Lights, camera, fresco. A historic church's famous paintings became the backdrop for a TV pilot on Monday.

St. Ann Arts and Cultural Center, formerly St. Ann Roman Catholic Church, was one of two location sites used Monday to film a pilot for the potential TV show “Empire State.”
Scenes for the pilot, produced by ABC, were filmed on Monday at the historic church on Cumberland Street and at the Arena Café, a small bar located at 103 Mount Saint Charles Ave.
Crews, wires and lighting raised curious looks from local bystanders.
“I think it's cool,” said Shirley Lacroix of Woonsocket, who walked by the closed set on Monday. “At least it's bringing recognition to the city of Woonsocket and the church.”
Built between 1913 and 1917, St. Ann Roman Catholic Church exhibits classical details of Romanesque architecture. In the 1920s, more than 40 stained glass windows, designed and produced by French artists, were installed.
The interior walls, vaults and ceilings of the church were completely covered in fresco paintings by Guido Nincheri, a native of Florence, in the style made famous by Michelangelo and Raphael.
In many ways, the themes and extent of the paintings are reminiscent of those in the Sistine Chapel in Rome.
“Empire State” is one of two TV pilots to begin filming in the Ocean State this month. The second pilot, “House Rules,” an ensemble drama about five freshman members of Congress, began filming last week in downtown Providence.
Both pilots are expected to be filmed through early to mid-April. The networks will then decide if the pilot will be made into a TV series.
“If it (Empire State) does get to be a pilot, it will be wonderful exposure for the St. Ann Arts and Cultural Center,” said Jeffrey Polucha, the city's economic development director.
The church nearly closed in 2000 due to a dwindling number of parishioners and rising maintenance costs of the building, according to the St. Ann Arts and Cultural Center's Web  site. In fear that this building might be destroyed, a small group of concerned individuals formed the St. Ann Arts and Cultural Center, a non-profit corporation dedicated to preserving the former church.
In September 2007, the Diocese of Providence turned ownership of the building over to the nonprofit group for its permanent use as an arts and cultural center.
Scenes for “Empire State” were also shot on Monday at the Arena Café, a small bar located down the street from Mount St. Charles Academy.
“I think it's great,” said the bar's owner Stephen Davis about the filming. “They said they would use the bar's name in the TV pilot.”
The pilot for “Empire State” is expected to be filmed at various urban settings throughout the state.
Filming was scheduled for only one day in the city. The cast and crew is expected to shoot at a new, unknown location on Tuesday.
The story of “Empire State” revolves around two families, one of blue-collar iron workers, the other of real estate tycoons, who collide in Manhattan over a romance. The show, being filmed for ABC, has been described as a contemporary Romeo and Juliet story about a blue-collar man falling in love with a wealthy girl.
The pilot is being directed by Jeremy Podeswa, who has previously directed episodes for “Six Feet Under,” “Queer as Folk,” “Nip/Tuck” and, most recently, “The Tudors.”
In the principal roles, Empire State will star David Morse, who appeared in the TV series “St. Elsewhere” and played George Washington in last year's HBO mini-series “John Adams”; Michael Nouri, who appeared in the 1983 film “Flashdance”; and Tammy Blanchard, who started on the soap opera “Guiding Light” and who appeared in the 2006 film “The Good Shepherd.”
Beau Garrett and Mike Vogel will serve as the two main leads for the show.
Garrett, a model first hired by Guess in the late 1990s, has starred in the horror movie “Turistas” and has appeared in HBO's “Entourage.”
Vogel, a former fashion model, has appeared in several films and series, including “Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants,” “Grind,” “Poseidon” and “Cloverfield.”
It is unknown if any of the show's stars were on set Monday.
Mark Gordon, who is known for his work on “Grey's Anatomy,” “Army Wives” and “Criminal Minds,” as well as feature films “Speed” and “Saving Private Ryan” serves as executive producer for both “Empire State” and “House Rules.”
The city has become accustomed to film crews in recent years. In 2008, Woonsocket became the backdrop for the movie “Hachiko: A Dog’s Story,” which starred Richard Gere.
The Showtime series “Brotherhood” and the independent film “Tanner Hall”  were also filmed last year in the Blackstone Valley.