Andorra la VellaThe Government has given the green light to the Extraordinary Credit Bill of 2,887,500 euros to respond to the expenses derived from the acquisition of the wall paintings of the church of Sant Esteve in Andorra la Vella: The flagellation and The kiss of Judas. This Bill will be sent this week to the General Council for approval so that the process of recovering the country’s cultural and artistic heritage can continue. The total amount corresponds to the payment of the value of the paintings in the property (2,750,000 euros) and the payment of the Spanish inheritance tax (137,500 euros).
The recovery of these paintings – which was announced last February 29 in an event attended by the Head of Government, Xavier Espot, and the Head of Culture, Mònica Bonell – is of great relevance for Andorra and a it is a clear sign of the Government’s commitment to cultural heritage, likewise, the return of cultural goods that, at some point, left the country is a necessary action, because it strengthens the heritage and the cultural identity of the Principality and, in addition, it is a mandate of the Cultural Heritage Law of Andorra.
At the same time, the Department of Cultural Heritage of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports has requested the export of the paintings from the church of Sant Esteve to the Board of Qualification, Valuation and Export of the Cultural Heritage of the Generalitat of Catalonia, which must make its assessment before the Government of Spain authorizes its export to Andorra.
The transfer of the paintings will be carried out by the technical conservation-restoration team of the Department of Cultural Heritage, likewise, the participation of a specialized company has been planned to organize the transfer, a company that already collaborates with the Ministry in other cultural projects.
Likewise, the technical teams of the Department of Cultural Heritage and the Area of ​​Museums and Monuments are working on the adaptation of the Columba Space, the location where the paintings will be placed once they arrive in the Principality.
