Clarissa nuns will finally recover their altarpiece of the Virgin of the Desamparados to worship in the Santiago convent. The 18th-century work of art, for which they have been litigating for months, remained in the Santa Clara Monastery in Pontevedra, for which it was created, but after the sale of this building, the congregation reserved the right to recover some movable property that was kept in this monument, among others, this altarpiece, which the nuns want to worship in Compostela, where the community is now concentrated.
After months of different procedures and arrangements, the well-known Compostela lawyer José Antonio Montero, who represents the nuns, has managed to get the Pontevedra Provincial Council, to which the City Council of the capital of Lerez ceded the building after acquiring it for the provincial museum, to recognize that the altarpiece of the Virgin of the Desamparados is still the property of the Clarissa nuns and that the order has the right to take it wherever it deems appropriate, in this case, to Compostela, where the faithful will be able to worship this invocation of the Virgin Mary within a few days.
And is that, according to what EL CORREO GALLEGO has been able to find out, scaffolding has already been installed in the Santa Clara Convent in Pontevedra to remove the piece before proceeding with its transfer. The entire process is authorized by the General Directorate of Heritage and is under the continuous supervision of a technical team, which ensures that the work of art does not suffer any damage during its transfer to Compostela. If everything goes as planned, the altar will arrive in Santiago imminently, in the coming days.
Sources close to the Clarissas indicate that the 18th-century altarpiece, valued at 74,000 euros, is in good condition and does not need to be subjected to a restoration process. In fact, the intention of the Clarissas is to place the image of the Virgin of the Desamparados back in the piece for religious worship. The painting of the Virgin Mary had already been transferred to Santiago when the nuns closed the convent, due to the fact that the community had become very small after the death of some nuns. Although they took the image, the altarpiece remained, like other furniture in the church that the nuns also reserved the right to recover.
In fact, as explained by the lawyer defending the community, José Antonio Montero, “in the deed of sale of the convent to the Pontevedra City Council, it was stipulated that there were a series of assets that remained in deposit but that would be withdrawn when deemed appropriate. These assets were appraised at the time and it was also established that there was a period of four years to recover them. After the fourth year, a forced sale could be requested, that is, the buyers would have to pay the price established in the appraisal,” he indicates.