Lucca, prepared the laboratory for the restoration of the Holy Face, inside the Cathedral

The restoration of the Volto Santo, the important crucifix preserved in the Cathedral of San Martino, is starting in Lucca: the details of the operation, conducted by theOpificio delle Pietre Dure (the restoration will be directed by Sandra Rossi of the Opificio in collaboration with the Superintendence of Lucca directed by Angela Acordon) and supported by the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Lucca, had been revealed at the end of 2021. The restoration will first and foremost serve to ensure the consolidation (recent investigations have in fact observed phenomena of detachment of the paint film) and cleaning of the work, a precious crucifix long believed to be a 12th- or 13th-century copy of a lost original, and backdated in 2020 to the 8th-9th century following carbon-14 examinations, and will also aim to enhance the work: all through a memorandum of understanding between the various parties involved (in addition to the Opificio delle Pietre Dure and the CRL Foundation, the Superintendence of Lucca and the Cathedral Church Authority have signed the agreement).

The first phase of the project involves the setting up of the restoration workshop, prepared directly in the transept of the Cathedral so as to guarantee the faithful the presence of the crucifix, which is venerated as a relic (legend has it that it was made by Nicodemus and completed by divine intervention), while in the second phase it will securing the work with a view to moving it from Matteo Civitali ’s Renaissance temple where the work is located and from which it will be removed as of September 19, 2022 (thus, during Holy Cross week in September 2022, the work will remain inside the Civitali temple). Given the delicacy, antiquity and uniqueness of the work, they let Lucca Cathedral know, the duration of the restoration cannot be estimated with certainty, roughly assumed to be between 12 and 18 months. The restoration will also allow the acquisition of important scientific information about this precious and very ancient crucifix. The investigation of the restoration will be decisive in defining the ideal parameters to the future conservation and usability of the work.

The community of Lucca and beyond will be kept up-to-date on the progress of the restoration work not only with occasional press conferences but also with periodic bulletins, videos and images, posted on the website www.voltosantolucca.it.

Image: Holy Face of Lucca (8th-9th century AD; Lucca, Cathedral of San Martino). Photo by Lucio Ghilardi

Lucca, prepared the laboratory for the restoration of the Holy Face, inside the Cathedral

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