Fifteenth-century frescoes in Swiss church to be conserved

The frescoes date back to the 15th century. Keystone-SDA

The frescoes in the Church of Santa Maria del Castello in Mesocco, southeastern Switzerland, will be the subject of a study and conservation project developed in cooperation with the SUPSI Conservation and Restoration Course.

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The subject was the focus of an international conference held on May 22 and 23 in Soazza dedicated to the painting complex and its conservation.

The main concern is the large fresco on the north-western wall of the church, which is now considered the top priority from a conservation point of view. The work, attributed to Lombard painters from the Seregnesi workshop and dating back to the 15th century, measures 4.80 metres by 12 metres.

According to inspections carried out over the past few months, several signs of degradation emerged in the lower part of the painting, including salt efflorescence, lifting and detachment of the paint film, as well as possible biological phenomena and moisture-related problems.

The fresco had already undergone major restoration in 1923, interventions that partially altered the original appearance of the work.

An initial technical study by SUPSI had been carried out between 2007 and 2008 and had already recommended monitoring the deterioration phenomena and conservation measures.

For this reason, a new preliminary analysis and monitoring process has now been started. “We have started with some preliminary investigations into the study,” explained Stefania Luppichini, a restorer at SUPSI, interviewed by the Swiss News Agency Keystone-ATS, specifying that at this stage the focus is mainly on the interior of the church, through checks on temperature, humidity and possible infiltrations.

According to Luppichini, the analyses should make it possible to understand “what phenomena of degradation are actually taking place” and to assess “whether it will be a small thing or something really more important”.

The actual study of the fresco will instead come into focus in the spring of 2027. “In the spring of next year, we will focus precisely on the painting,” Luppichini explained. The work will be carried out as part of a bachelor’s degree in Conservation and Restoration and will include analysis of the materials, techniques and the state of conservation of the work.

The conference in Soazza also stemmed from the desire to confront new historical and artistic research that, according to the organisers, is calling into question certain established interpretations of the frescoes, including the traditional attribution of the commission.

Adapted from Italian by AI/ts

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