Frescoes in the Crypt of the Frescoes of the Basilica of Aquileia restored

The restoration work on the frescoes in the Crypt of the Frescoes of the Patriarchal Basilica of Aquileia has been completed and was presented to the public on Saturday, February 1, 2020, in the presence of the city authorities, the Technical Direction of Works-MIBACT, and Opera Est Conservation and Restoration.

The work was carried out by the company Opera Est conservazione e restauro of Trieste, specifically carrying out the cleaning and restoration of the frescoes of the vaults of the central nave and left side aisle, commissioned by the director of the Fondazione So.Co.Ba - Society for the Conservation of the Basilica of Aquileia, Alberto Bergamin.

The work began in 2015 and was supported by funding from the Friuli Foundation, Fondazione Ca.Ri.GO and Fondazione CRTrieste, while MiBACT provided the Technical Direction of the work. The intervention had a total cost of 131 thousand euros.

The architectural structure of the Crypt of the Frescoes dates back to the 9th century, while the frescoes date from the second half of the 12th. The cycle depicts on the vault nineteen scenes with Stories of Hermacor narrating the origins of Christianity in Aquileia. The four lunettes depict scenes from the Passion of Christ and the Death of Mary; in the pendentives are figures of saints. In the central vault appear the enthroned Madonna and Child between the symbols of the Evangelists and Christ enthroned surrounded by angels.

Elisabetta Francescutti, of the technical direction of the restorations, noted the need to intervene on the frescoes due to lifting and adhesion defects of the vault surfaces, which were also due to the high humidity in the crypt and the presence of synthetic resins that had been spread on the pictorial surfaces in previous interventions.

In the course of the restoration work, as Claudia Ragazzoni of the Opera Est company explained, the plasters were strengthened and natural limes and sands were used for the filling of cracks and gaps; reconstruction of the most extensive pictorial deficiencies was done with watercolor paints.

Pictured are the frescoes in the Crypt of Frescos of the Basilica of Aquileia.

Frescoes in the Crypt of the Frescoes of the Basilica of Aquileia restored

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