The restoration of the wall painting of Our Lady at the Mellieħa Sanctuary is nearing completion. The painting of the Madonna and Child was discovered in 1972 by restorer Samuel Bugeja under another painting.
The Bank of Valletta co-funded project, commenced in November 2012, led by conservators Maria Grazia Zenzani and Valentina Lupo from Atelier del Restauro in collaboration with Faber Restauro and the CNR (Centro Nazionale della Ricerca) in Florence.
Charles Azzopardi, Head PR and Marketing at Bank of Valletta met Fr Joe Caruana, Mellieħa parish priest and the restorers at the Mellieħa Sanctuary.
"The wall painting, believed to be from the 15th century, had suffered centuries of exposure to the elements as well as various restoration procedures, which while compensating for parts of the painting that were lost, visibly altered the icon," said Valentina Lupo. "Following a long environmental study of the temperature, humidity and presence of salts in the rock, the physical restoration started with the adhesion of the detaching paint layer and removal of a layer of resin applied in the 1970s as well as several layers of over-painting," she explained.
"The discovery of the only remaining finger from the original painting has given us the original position of the hand, which marks a huge difference in the iconography of one of Malta's earliest surviving paintings," continued Ms Lupo. "This was further enhanced with a number of details that express symbolism and meaning in this religious site."
"The restoration of the titular painting completes the holistic conservation project of the Sanctuary both from an architectural and an artistic perspective," said Fr Joe Caruana. "Although historical details about the painting are inexistent, the evidence of pilgrimages as early as the 15th century are definite proof that the Sanctuary was, and still is a site of spiritual significance."
"Bank of Valletta's commitment towards local heritage is evident in the number of high-profile restoration projects supported over the years," said Charles Azzopardi. "Our participation in the restoration of this historical gem stems from our pride in being the Maltese Bank and an active player in the community in which we operate."
The inauguration celebration is being held at the Mellieħa Sanctuary on Sunday 26th June at 7pm under the patronage of the Archbishop of Malta.