Restoration of the mural paintings in the vaults of the parish church of Our Lady of the Assumption
The paintings are popular, somewhat rough, but expressive, and with educational value.
Restoration of the murals of the vaults of the presbytery and transept of the parish church of Our Lady of the Assumption
The mural paintings of the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption were made at various times. In the main chapel the four Evangelists are represented and, on the transept, the Fathers of the Church. The paintings are popular, somewhat coarse, but expressive, and with didactic value. Before the restoration, they presented landslides motivated by moisture leaks. The restoration has allowed to recover the overall vision of the whole.
The parish church of Our Lady of the Assumption of Algete presents several constructive and decorative phases from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century. The body of the church, built towards the second quarter of the 16th century, shows characteristics that show the influence of the work of Alonso de Covarrubias, one of the most outstanding architects of the Spanish Renaissance.
Its plan has three naves separated by three large semicircular arches on columns. It is covered with a wooden roof of Mudejar tradition. The head of the church is of later chronology, being able to date to the end of the XNUMXth century or the beginning of the XNUMXth. It is made up of a rectangular main chapel with a straight front, preceded by a quadrangular section like a transept, both covered with grooved vaults. This transept is flanked by two short, lower arms that are covered by lowered half-barrel vaults.
All the vaults are decorated with plaster moldings forming compositions based on geometric shapes.
As a consequence of the tastings carried out in vaults and walls at the head of the church, it has been proved that it was completely decorated with mural painting, although said decoration corresponds to several decorative phases. Taking into account the type of vault and the type of decorative motifs, the decoration can be dated between the end of the 16th century and the beginning of the 17th.
The vaults of the main chapel and the transept are compartmentalized to form geometric plaster motifs, reproducing oval and quadrangular shapes joined together in white. In the main chapel the four Evangelists are represented, sitting, writing and with their corresponding speaking symbol, framed by an oval molding in relief, ornamented with shapes of scrolls, scrolls and trimmed leathers, all polychrome in blue, red and gold.
On the transept, the Fathers of the Church, San Gregorio, San Jerónimo, San Ambrosio and San Agustín, of half body with the vestments and the symbols that characterize them, are inscribed in a heraldic shield-shaped molding decorated with scrolls and trimmed leathers, also in relief. In both cases, the frames that contain the figures are crowned by masks from which long ribbons leave, extending around, giving way to sinuous interlocking forms. From the bottom of each shield hangs a cluster of fruits in relief.
The representations are popular, somewhat coarse, but expressive, perhaps because they are representations that were to be contemplated at a great distance, and yet show a very decorative character that gives the interior of the temple a cozy atmosphere at the same time that a didactic function.
The outstanding interest of the building has led to intervene in several of the assets that are inside the church. In this way, the main altarpiece, made in the first decades of the 17th century, and the mural paintings on the arms of the transept, the presbytery and the transept have been restored, with the aim of returning the temple to its original appearance.
Initial state
San Gregorio
Initial state
Crack repair
Initial state
Cleaning pictorial layer
Initial state
Saturation
Initial state
Chromatic reintegration
Initial state
Arch of Glory
Final state
Arch of Glory
Final state
Set of wall paintings of the vaults
Restaurants
In the case of the paintings, the wall support was in good condition. The losses were due to the processes of moisture filtration that had generated detachments of the pictorial layer. In addition, the deposition of environmental pollution and dust had blackened the pictorial layer and hidden the original polychrome. The surface layer of the reliefs was composed of a layer of white paint and cream that hid the original paint, in turn covered by a layer of dust.
In the first place, a cleaning with a vacuum cleaner and brushes was carried out to eliminate the non-adherent surface dirt of the outermost layer. Afterwards, the repaints were removed from the surface of the vaults that hid the original mortar with a pinkish tone imitating the stone that covers the vault and the volumes, to later consolidate the pictorial film, evaluating and planning the materials and intervention methodology.
Then the material reintegration was carried out by closing cracks, holes and gaps, to achieve the correct reading of the work.
Finally, the saturation of the pictorial film was carried out to return the intensity and chromatic values lost to the pictorial layer, to end with the chromatic reintegration in order to recover the overall vision of the whole.
This was done with high quality, reversible paints compatible with the original but differentiable paint. The applied technique was imitative, becoming chromatically integrated in tone and transparency with the original painting, but differentiable in texture and materials, without generating visual disturbance at the logical distance of observation but always distinguishable at close range.
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