Botched Church Makeover Leaves Cherubs Looking Like Monkeys
MONKEY CHRIST
âI donât want to say too much, but those eyes and painted lips really grab your attention,â one restoration expert said of the âmonkey-likeâ cherubs.
The botched restoration of an 18th century Spanish church in the town Soria has left the cherubs looking like monkeys and restoration experts puzzled. El Confidencial reported Thursday that the botched restoration is the second coming of âEcce Homoâ or âMonkey Christ,â referring to another botched restoration which went viral 12 years ago. âWeâre not talking about a failed restoration here; weâre talking about an assault on heritage,â Francisco Manuel Espejo, president of Spainâs Professional Association of Restorers and Conservators, said in a statement of the failed restoration. The heritage society of Soria told the Spanish paper that the restorers had not done the preliminary research into the churchâs historical aesthetics. âWeâve ended up with the decorative elements being outlined and the cherubsâwhich were white beforeâbecoming caricature-like,â the group told El Confidencial. The heritage society of Soria blamed local officials for not designating the church a historical site in a post on X, writing, âthe refusal of the Junta de Castilla y LeĂłn to declare the right bank of the Duero River BIC, which would include the intramural slopes that they left outside the Historical Complex of the Old Town of Soria, has its consequences as seen in the hermitage of the Virgen del Voyeur.â
La negativa de la Junta de Castilla y LeĂłn a declarar BIC la margen derecha del rĂo Duero, que incluirĂa las laderas intramuros que dejaron fuera del Conjunto HistĂłrico del Casco Antiguo de Soria, tiene sus consecuencias como se ha visto en la ermita de la Virgen del MirĂłn. https://t.co/jlAtRjinHTpic.twitter.com/KcRMLDSNki