A long-lost fresco has been discovered hidden behind layers of paint in Letterkenny Cathedral.The gilded fresco of an angel was found by conservationists working on a wall behind the altar in St Eunan’s Cathedral, known traditionally as Our Lady’s Altar.
In the painting, the angel is depicted carrying a banner of Our Lady and the words Ave Maria.
It is painted in tempura bound paint with egg white and is believed to date from the 1920s.
The cathedral administrator Fr Eamonn Kelly said old pictures of the interior of the cathedral had shown the fresco and this prompted him to ask the restorers to strip the paint on the altar.
“It looked lovely and we didn’t know if it had been destroyed or not. We are delighted it has been uncovered and work will go ahead now to reveal the whole fresco.”
The Belfast firm Decowell Restoration has been engaged by the cathedral as part of a €700,000 refurbishment programme.
Decowell conservationist Ruth Rothwell said the uncovering of the fresco was the “most exciting” part of her company’s work.
“The banner was applied to the wall on canvass after the angel was painted, it is quite unusual, especially in Ireland and would be more typical of fine cathedrals in cities,” she remarked.
“It is very, very beautiful and painted in French style as are most of the frescoes in the cathedral,” Ms Rothwell said.
“The favourite part of my work is when you discover a hidden painting; Fr Kelly suggested there might have been a painting there in the past.”
“We worked with scalpels and slowly revealed the beautiful face.”