Conservation of paintings at St. Aloysius Church, Mangalore

The conservation of the 1880 St. Aloysius Chapel, Mangalore built by the Jesuit Missionaries with interiors (wall paintings and oil paintings) painted by Antonio Moscheni (1899) is under way. The project commenced in November 2017 and is for a duration of 18 months. The paintings were restored earlier by Intach from 1991 to 94 and had recommended re-assessment of the work after 25 years. A 2nd conservation campaign is underway now.

The major work involves cleaning and stabilization of paintings. The major challenge is to undertake the conservation work at the height of 47 ft in extreme warm and humid temperatures. One of the canvas paintings had to be brought down from this height in order to undertake the conservation treatment. The painting measures 13 x 7 ft (approx) in size and is about 70 kg in weight (including strainer weight). After meticulous planning, the painting was brought down and treated in the conservation lab set up at the site. Later it was placed back successfully in its original place. The other paintings are being treated in-situ.