The row over an entrance fee to Notre Dame reminds Mike Pender of a visit to Syracuse
The controversy over whether Notre Dame should charge visitors an entrance fee (Row erupts over plan to charge €5 to enter fire-hit Notre Dame, 26 October) brought to mind a trip to Italy earlier this year. Caravaggio’s painting The Burial of Saint Lucy has been recently relocated to the church for which it was originally intended: the Basilica di Santa Lucia al Sepolcro in Syracuse, Sicily. It is now installed on a wall behind the altar and has become a major tourist attraction, especially as there is no charge for admission to the splendid building.
However, when my wife and I visited, we were disappointed to find the painting in darkness and we couldn’t see a thing. Fortunately, we quickly realised that visitors were required to insert a €2 coin into a slot machine in order to provide illumination for a few minutes. With a steady stream of visitors coughing up their euros on a regular basis, Caravaggio’s masterpiece does not remain in the shadows for very long.
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Source link : https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2024/nov/01/2-to-illuminate-a-caravaggio-masterpiece-is-a-small-price-to-pay
Author : Guardian Staff
Publish date : 2024-11-01 17:55:33
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