PIGEONS FIND HIDDEN SPAIN FRESCO
A Renaissance fresco hidden for 300 years has been rediscovered in Spain - thanks to nesting pigeons.
Art restorers working in Valencia's cathedral noticed the birds flying through a hole in what turned out to
be a false ceiling. They wanted to see what was there so they stuck a digital camera in the gap and shot
pictures that showed a well-preserved 15th-century Italian fresco. It is one of the earliest and most important
examples of such Renaissance art in Spain, experts say.
The fresco, which shows four angels against a starry blue background, was painted by two Italians,
Francesco Pagano and Paolo de San Leocadio, in the late 1400s. It was ordered by a papal representative,
Rodrigo Borja, a Spaniard who went on to become Pope Alexander VI in 1492.
The fresco was covered up by a baroque ceiling, which was constructed - as art historians believe - around
1670, most probably because of changing artistic tastes. Normally, baroque artists instead of covering up an
existing fresco would remove it first, art historian Fernando Lopez told the Associated Press. " This time they
did not. They left an air pocket. That is a big surprise."
The president of Valencia's government, Francisco Camps, said the finding was "one of the most important
cultural discoveries in recent years" in Spain. The magnificent fresco angels can be seen again after more
than 300 years and are admired by both professionals ans amateurs.
The Renaissance fresco in Valencia's cathedral was found by chance.
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Curious art restorers took a photo of the gap in the ceiling.
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The fresco was ordered by future Pope Alexander VI.
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It was a common procedure in the baroque period to paint a new fresco
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on top of an old one.
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The fresco will soon be showed to the public.
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