The President of Aragon, Jorge Azcón, visited the Vilanova de Sijena Monastery this Friday, where a new wooden ceiling replicating the originals that once adorned the church's chapter house was unveiled. As reported by ACN, Azcón stated during the event that "very soon the Sijena mural paintings will be where they belong." The Aragonese president, currently campaigning for the regional elections on February 8th, reiterated his demand that the Government and the National Art Museum of Catalonia (MNAC) comply with the law and "respect the integral value of heritage." In this regard, he asked the Catalan authorities to "reflect" on their actions and the promises they made to Aragon, "because it's not happening." He also requested their cooperation in what "will ultimately come to pass." Azcón attended the unveiling of the fourth of the twelve wooden murals that once adorned the Chapter House of the Sijena Monastery, as part of the Sijena Mágica project. The mural was created by a team of six artisans who worked on the piece for over a year. During the event, Azcón reiterated that the monastery is a "symbol of Aragon," representing the history and identity of the region, as well as its "capacity to preserve what defines us as a people." He stated that when "Justice speaks, all else must remain silent," and recalled that court rulings have recognized the mural paintings as being by the people of Aragon.

The MNAC continues its fight to prevent the removal of the murals from the chapter house of the Sijena Monastery. It is now seeking the support of leading international authorities in heritage conservation. With the approval of the Board of Trustees, the museum's legal team filed a motion this morning in Huesca's Court Number 2 proposing the creation of a top-level commission to oversee the dismantling, packing, and transport of the murals.

The judge in Huesca has rejected the appeals filed by the Catalan government and the National Art Museum of Catalonia (MNAC) against the document authorizing the Vilanova de Sijena Town Council to question museum staff and enter the storage area to search for more frescoes from the monastery. The ruling states that access to the storage area is limited to the works in dispute—listed in document number 11 of the lawsuit—and that they "are not located in rooms" 16 and 17 of the museum. "All of this is in order to allow the plaintiff to establish a definitive timeline," the text states. In this regard, the MNAC maintains that none of the frescoes are in storage and that all of them are located in the two rooms. According to MNAC officials, the works in dispute are "perfectly identified and indicated" in the ruling and are those on display in rooms 16 and 17. Regarding the questioning of technicians, the court order indicates that the authorization is limited to the Vilanova City Council "obtaining from the MNAC and Aragonese government technicians the information necessary to issue their respective reports, with the ultimate goal of allowing the executing party to prepare the appropriate timeline." There are none in the warehouse.

Sources at the MNAC (National Art Museum of Catalonia) have told ACN (Cuban News Agency) that the judge's ruling supports their position because it states that the measure to enter the museum's storage facilities is "limited" to whether any of the paintings mentioned in the judgment are not on display in rooms 16 and 17. In this context, the museum maintains that all the works are in storage. According to MNAC officials, the works in dispute are "perfectly identified and listed" in the judgment and are those exhibited in rooms 16 and 17. On November 4, the museum stated that the scope of the judgment was clearly defined: the paintings in rooms 16 and 17 of the MNAC. It also stated that entering the storage areas to search for additional items was not part of the legal procedure.

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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.

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