Sijena Murals Dispute Deepens as MNAC Resists Supreme Court Return Order
A 12th-century Romanesque masterpiece is once again at the center of Spain’s heritage politics. The Sijena murals, created for the Royal Monastery of Sijena in Aragón, remain at the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya (MNAC) in Barcelona even after Spain’s supreme court ordered their return last May.
The works, often described as the “Sistine Chapel of Romanesque art,” were painted by an anonymous artist for the arches of the monastery’s chapter house. Their survival is itself remarkable. The murals were badly damaged during the Spanish Civil War, when anarchists set fire to the monastery, and they were removed to Barcelona in 1936 for restoration. They have been on public display at MNAC since 1961, installed in a sealed section of the Oval Hall on specially made arches designed to echo the original setting.
The court gave MNAC one month to deliver the murals back to Sijena, but the deadline passed without a transfer. The museum said the works’ condition needed to be assessed before removal could be authorized. That position has become more contentious in recent months, especially after a November dispute over a Rosalía event in the Oval Hall. Jorge Español, the lawyer representing the municipality of Villanueva de Sijena, argued that vibrations from the performance could damage the murals and sought to have the event canceled. The event went ahead.
Pepe Serra, MNAC’s director, then made remarks that triggered a sharp backlash. Español threatened defamation proceedings and demanded €90,000 in compensation for moral damages. Pedro Olloqui, Aragón’s director of culture, also accused Serra of showing “intolerable contempt.”
MNAC says no lawsuit had been filed at the time of its response and insists the Oval Hall regularly hosts concerts without incident. The museum also says the Sijena rooms are “completely isolated” and that there is “absolutely no risk.” Its position, a spokesperson said, rests on “technical arguments” grounded in scientific analysis.
That argument is not without support. A report issued in August by the Catalonia regional government and Barcelona city council said the murals show signs of damage and could deteriorate further if exposed to changes in climate, vibration, or movement. The paintings, the report added, are stable because the museum is climate controlled and continuously monitored. In September, ICCROM, the Rome-based cultural heritage organization, urged a comprehensive values-based risk assessment before any relocation, warning that the risks of transportation and reinstallation at the Monastery of Sijena are not fully known.
For now, the murals remain in Barcelona, suspended between a court order, conservation caution, and a dispute that has become as political as it is technical.
