A row has broken out in a village in southern Poland over the restoration of a statue of the Virgin Mary. The owner of the land is unhappy with the results, saying that the appearance of the figure has been changed beyond recognition.
Local conservators disagree, however, and note that the figure has been returned to its original appearance before earlier restorations. Concerned that the owner might have it repainted, they are protecting the shrine by delaying putting it back in place until it is registered as a protected monument.
The figure of the Virgin Mary has stood in a shrine by the side of a road in the village of Miejsce, in the Małopolska Province, since the early 20th century, reports Gazeta Krakowska. Over the years, it had been weathered by the cold and rain, and had therefore received several new layers of paint.
The owner of the land, whom the newspaper calls Stanisław (though that is not his real name), commissioned a professional restorer to return the shrine to its former glory.
After peeling off the layers of paint, the experts found that reconstruction of Mary’s face was necessary, as well as restoring the wreath on her head and the original colours. But Stanisław was unhappy at the effects of the facelift.
“In terms of colours and appearance, it doesn’t resemble the figure we had,” he told Gazeta Krakowska. “It doesn’t look like the Mother of God from before the renovation at all.”
“If the people responsible for restoring the figure wanted to make changes, they could have informed the owner,” he continued. “I don’t know what educated fine arts academy graduates were thinking to desecrate the beauty my great-grandparents created in this way.”
Left to right: the repainted figure before restoration; during restoration; with the layers of paint removed; the fully restored figure (photos: Małopolski Wojewódzki Konserwator Zabytków/Facebook)
However, the Małopolska provincial conservator, Monika Bogdanowska, argues that the restorer did a good job.
“A figure repainted many times has been subject to careful conservation…but the current appearance is unacceptable for the owner,” she wrote in a Facebook post. “Out of concern for its future, for now we are holding back on putting the shrine up. It will be necessary to give it legal protection by adding it to the register of monuments.”
Spytkowice’s village mayor, Mariusz Krystian, thanked the provincial conservator for taking an interest in the renovation of the shrine. He admitted that the affair was not a “glorious” episode for the district, but expressed hope that it would be possible to find a solution.
According to Gazeta Krakowska, however, the dispute could still end up in court, as Stanisław remains unhappy with the extensive changes to the figure.
Main image credit: Małopolski Wojewódzki Konserwator Zabytków/Facebook
Ben Koschalka is a translator and senior editor at Notes from Poland. Originally from Britain, he has lived in Kraków since 2005.
