A ‘disastrous’ restoration of historic cherub sculptures in Spain has been met with derision and outrage, with experts slamming the ‘cartoonish’ efforts as ‘an attack on heritage’.
Several decorations in the Ermita de Nuestra Señora del Mirón in Soria, north east of Madrid, were crudely repainted in bold white with simple facial features and bright red lips – standing out against the ornate and carefully decorated statues nearby.
Conservations branded the cherubs’ makeover ‘disastrous’ and ‘disrespectful’ to the historic church and local heritage.
Francisco Manuel Espejo, president of Spain’s Conservators and Restorers association, stated: ‘Those eyes and painted lips really grab your attention.
‘We are not just talking about a failed restoration, but an attack on our heritage.’
Spanish media likened the botched job to the famous ‘Ecce Homo’ restoration in 2012, which was mockingly dubbed ‘Monkey Christ’ at the time.
The renovation work drew the ire of conservation groups who called it an ‘attack’ on heritage
The diocese defended the work, saying ‘some people like the end result and others don’t’
The latest makeover included painting the church’s interior and several cherub figures
‘I don’t think, given the result, that any specialist would have authorised doing something like this,’ Espejo said.
He also asked why a listed building, constructed in 1725, underwent such an extensive makeover when it needed to be signed off by the city council and an expert.
The latest makeover included painting the church’s interior along with several cherub figures in the nave.
‘Cases like this are pretty rare, but we do regret that they’re still happening, especially when we’re still calling on the authorities for a change in the law,’ he added.
‘Our heritage isn’t fully protected and it means things like this can still happen.’
Outraged by the standard of the work, the heritage group Soria Patrimonio posted photos on social media.
They also included images of what the church looked like before it was turned bright pink with ‘cartoonish’ cherubs.
A group spokesperson said: ‘What have they done to the Ermita de Nuestra Señora del Mirón?
‘We’ve ended up with the decorative elements being outlined and the cherubs, which were white before, becoming cartoonish.’
A spokesperson for the diocese of Osma-Soria said: ‘The work was carried out with the required authorisation and some people like the end result and others don’t.
‘We regret there is some dissatisfaction, but it is a matter of taste.’
Soria City Council has yet to respond to the backlash.
One local commented: ‘I don’t laugh out of disrespect, but who restored it, the least intelligent person in the village?’
Another said: ‘In my opinion the colour is not a problem, in fact many churches were originally like this, the problem is that it has been done with little care.’
Geek Mom wrote: ‘How horrible, that isn’t a restoration or anything.’
Cecilia Martine’s handiwork on the 1910 painting Ecce Homo (Behold The Man), pictured left, went viral after her restoration was dubbed Beast Jesus, pictured right
Another restoration in Palencia four years ago, which now (right) bears almost no resemblance to the original (left)
In 2020, another restored statue attracted criticism – and comparisons to the Ecce Homo restoration – after it was unveiled in the city of Palencia.
The statue was replaced after the original came off during restoration work on the building it is part of, Spanish news site as.com reported.
‘It’s more like a cartoon head than the artistic head of one of Palencia’s most emblematic buildings,’ local painter Antonio Guzman wrote in a Facebook post alongside before and after shots of the statue.
Almudena Gonzalez, another local, wrote on Facebook that the restoration ‘makes me want to cry.’
‘It’s terrible. And to think of all the great artists we have.’
Local painter Guzman said the restoration resembled the infamous ‘Monkey Christ’ – an impromptu update of the Ecce Homo fresco in Borja which went viral in 2012 after a well-meaning local set to work improving its faded colours despite having no artistic training.
The effort was roundly was roundly mocked and drew accusations of vandalism from horrified art fans who said the Jesus depicted now looked like a monkey.
The Ecce Homo (Behold the Man) fresco was painted around 1930 by Elías García Martínez but is unrecognisable in its current form which has been dubbed Behold the Monkey.
