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Supreme Court orders return of Sijena monastery murals to Aragón

Extensive restoration, including climate-control upgrades, ensures the monastery can safely house the frescoes

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Salvador Illa, junto a una imagen de los murales del Monasterio de Santa María de Sijena, expuestos en el Museo Nacional de Arte de Cataluña

Overview

  • The Spanish Supreme Court ruled in May that the Romanesque murals must be returned from the National Art Museum of Catalonia in Barcelona to the Sijena Monastery in Aragón.
  • Aragón’s government says restoration work finished by December 2018 and a new climate-control system meet international preservation standards for the frescoes.
  • The MNAC patronage board, comprising representatives of the Generalitat, Barcelona City Council and the Culture Ministry, will convene next week to define its position on the transfer.
  • President Jorge Azcón plans to request logistical cooperation from Catalan President Salvador Illa at this week’s Conferencia de Presidentes in Barcelona.
  • Although fragments traveled to New York and London in the 1970s and ’80s, the full set of Sijena murals has remained at MNAC since the mid-20th century.