Hidden Medieval Wall Paintings Have Been Digitally Restored in France
French Medieval wall paintings hidden for more than 500 years in the Angers cathedral have been digitally restored, according to the Hamilton Kerr Institute Bulletin. The late 13th century paintings were whitewashed following a mid 15th-century fire at the cathedral and subsequently boxed behind woodwork by 1786, which protected them from iconoclasts and vandalization during the French Revolution. In 1980, they were found by a priest who had been using the small area for storage. Though French experts restored the work, they had previously only been recorded in partial black and white images. Related Articles The vibrant paintings depict the life and miracles of Saint Maurille, a bishop of Angers during the fifth-century whose relics were once housed in a silver shrine within the cathedral. Legend has it that Saint Maurille failed to raise a child from the dead and, as a result, fled to England where he penitentially worked for the king as a gardener. Saint Maurille later learned that the child was in fact alive and he returned to the site of the …
