The appearance of the famous four "miraculous" rings that were attributed to a medieval legend and that were discovered during the restoration of an altarpiece in Santo Estevo de Ribas de Sil was the great thread to pull for researchers since last December , which are now celebrating the restoration of mural paintings found in the same location. Vania López leads the work that -by chance- resulted in the discovery of a silk bag embroidered with gold threads that contained the legendary jewels that the Vigo artist María Oruña even fictionalized. While a score of experts from seven countries - from the Victoria and Albert Museum in London to the Center for Medieval Studies of the University of Toronto - look for a date for the relics, Ourense praises the restoration of some 15th century paintings that were found thanks to the “clue” of the rings. The Bishopric will present these murals tomorrow: they are six complete images of the New Testament and some martyrs.
multiple authorship
“Once the calcareous material that covered them has been removed and before proceeding with its definitive reintegration, we want to show the scenes, of great artistic value, which were discovered after several centuries, on the sides of the presbytery of the church of San Estevo de Ribas de Sil”, advance from the Bishopric. Luis Manuel Cuña, episcopal delegate for Heritage, confirms that the finding “is very interesting because the images have appeared very complete after removing the lime”. The tasting carried out by the restorers a couple of months ago allowed us to glimpse the blurred face of a monk, in addition to other incomplete scenes. Now the theme is confirmed. Cuña goes further: "Probably the entire presbytery of the church of Santo Estevo de Ribas de Sil was painted in this way." He also puts a possible date to the murals: "Between the end of the 15th century and the beginning of the 16th century."
The scenes found in the church are six: three on one side of the reliquary and three on the other, although the highest quality are those on the right, according to the Heritage delegate. Another interesting data is the authorship. “They are made by several hands”, confirms the Heritage delegate.
The rings and covid
The investigation of the "miraculous" rings, led by the CSIC expert Therese Martin, is pending the meeting between the twenty professionals who work all over the world in the study of the relics, comparing them with other jewels of the time. The pandemic made it difficult for researchers to travel and the Bishopric hopes that the work will “advance” in September.
a blurred monk
The "tasting" carried out by the restorers of the Bishopric of Ourense a couple of months ago resulted in the face of a friar, a fragment of a shield with a key and drops of blood, vegetable ornaments and a geometric floor. Heritage permits allowed the restoration of the six murals.
