Church's art treasure comes out of hiding

[emad]

The Times
From David Sharrock in Madrid



A PRICELESS work of religious art that had been hidden from the Church by the villagers of Abella de la Conca for more than 30 years has at last gone on public display.

This Christmas, the 100 residents of the Spanish Pyrenean village were finally able to bring La Pietat (The Piety) out of its hiding place.

Painted by Pere Espallargues in the late 15th century, La Pietat lay wrapped in newspaper at the bottom of a wardrobe in one of the village ancient stone houses ever since a companion piece was taken from the parish church of St Esteve and lodged in the diocesan museum at La Seu d Argell 70km away.

The villagers acted out of a mixture of fear of losing their beloved painting �Ea triptych with a horizontal pedestal piece at the centre of which is represented the Virgin Mary holding the baby Jesus �Eand anger at the thieving bishop�Efor stripping them of the other important work.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,172-1418112,00.html

Edit: sorry no pics

[Demeter]

1. Suggest We do The Same

with the Constitution and Declaration

[Benhurst]

2. They've been shredded, so we can put them a jar for safekeeping. NT

[Lars39]

3. Doesn't Norman Mailer have a copy of the Constitution?

Might come in handy now that Diebold has a hand in preserving the Constitution.

[Karenina]

4. Too late.

Diebold has been "appoinzed" to "protect." No joke.