Overview

• Spain’s Supreme Court ruled in May 2025 that the Sala Capitular murals must be returned from the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya to the Sijena Monastery in Aragon.
• The MNAC board declared its willingness to comply but has petitioned a judicial hearing to report its technical inability to move the murals without risking damage.
• The patronage has proposed forming a technical working group of specialized staff from the State, the Generalitat de Catalunya, the Barcelona City Council and the Government of Aragon to assess the transfer.
• MNAC highlighted that Josep Gudiol rescued the frescoes during the Spanish Civil War in 1936 and that the works have been on public display at the museum since 1961.
• A judge will now determine the transfer’s execution plan and establish protocols to protect the 12th-century paintings during relocation.