ITALY: Rare wall painting recently found in ancient church sheds light on the development of early medieval art

Record ID: 190251

  • Title: ITALY: Rare wall painting recently found in ancient church sheds light on the development of early medieval art
  • Date: 8th February 2011
  • Summary: ROME, ITALY (RECENT) (REUTERS) PIECES OF STONE UNDER SCAFFOLDING OUTSIDE CHURCH OF SANTA MARIA ANTIQUA INTERIOR OF CHURCH WALL PAINTING INSIDE CHURCH DAMAGED WALL PAINTING INSIDE CHURCH RELIGIOUS PAINTINGS ON DAMAGED INTERIOR WALLS OF CHURCH WALL PAINTING FEATURING JESUS ON CHURCH WALL DAMAGED WALL PAINTING (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) DIRECTOR OF THE PALATINE AND ROMAN FORUM MARIA ANTONIETTA TOMEI SAYING: "It is a church that came to light during the excavations of Giacomo Boni in the early 1900s. At the time, there was a church that covered it and the excavations went beyond the church and exposed this hall which was a part of the imperial palace." SCAFFOLDING INSIDE CHURCH WALL PAINTING SEEN THROUGH SCAFFOLDING (SOUNDBITE) (Italian) DIRECTOR OF THE PALATINE AND ROMAN FORUM MARIA ANTONIETTA TOMEI SAYING: "In the central apse, there are overlapping layers of paintings that date from the sixth to the ninth centuries, covering up each other, which, from an art history point of view, reveal some of the most important characteristics of this church." VARIOUS OF WALL PAINTINGS INSIDE CHURCH SCAFFOLDING BY WALL PAINTINGS VARIOUS OF WALL PAINTINGS VARIOUS OF RESTAURATEURS' TOOLS, LADDERS AND TEMPORARY BARRIERS BY WALL PAINTINGS
  • Embargoed: 23rd February 2011 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Italy, Italy
  • Country: Italy
  • Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment / Showbiz,History
  • Reuters ID: LVAR8OO3T8BMT98Y2Y4OG00OPOL
  • Story Text: Work is underway at an ancient Roman church to restore wall paintings which are said to reveal precious information about the development of early medieval and Byzantine art.
    The church of Santa Maria Antiqua in the ancient Roman Forum dates to the sixth century and is one of the capital's earliest surviving monuments.
    The church was abandoned during the ninth century and later buried in an earthquake, according to studies made by the World Monuments Fund (WMF).
    Unearthed after a group of archaeologists came across it in the early twentieth century, the building was long neglected and even used to store artefacts from other parts of the Forum.
    "It is a church that came to light during the excavations of Giacomo Boni in the early 1900s. At the time, there was a church that covered it and the excavations went beyond the church and exposed this hall which was a part of the imperial palace," explained the site's director Maria Antonietta Tomei.
    The crumbling wall paintings inside the Santa Maria Antigua date to a period from the sixth to the eighth centuries, offering valuable insight into some three hundred years of history as well as into the development of painting.
    "In the central apse, there are overlapping layers of paintings that date from the sixth to the ninth centuries, covering up each other, which, from an art history point of view, reveal some of the most important characteristics of this church," Tomei said.
    Following research and tests to determine their historical value and conservation potential, the WMF and Rome's Superintendent of Monuments developed new conservation methods to start restoring the wall paintings.
    The efforts are also bringing the church, previously closed to public, back to life, with limited visits allowed for the first time, WMF said.
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