This story of the transfer of the paintings from the chapter house of the Sijena Monastery It has been moving for years, enough years for us to have been sufficiently concerned here at the ARA.

The mural paintings of the Royal Monastery of Sijena, dating from the late 12th century and considered a jewel of Hispanic Romanesque art, have historically been studied and protected in Catalonia, which has valued them as part of the artistic legacy of the Catalan-Aragonese Crown. Lluís Domènech i Montaner had already analyzed them at the beginning of the 20th century. in situ with his students. Years later, they were saved by the Generalitat in 1936, after being affected by a serious fire at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War: they were pulled out using the technique ofstrappo They were then returned to use and moved to Barcelona, ​​where they were restored by Josep Gudiol. They have been on public display since 1961 in the current National Art Museum of Catalonia. Thus, for almost a century, the work of study, protection, and exhibition has been impeccable, a task that could now be jeopardized if the paintings are indeed moved.