Church gets complete renovation after forgotten masterpiece nets them £1.5m
A MEDIEVAL church has had a complete renovation – thanks to a masterpiece that hung overlooked on a wall for 60 years.
Rev Joanna Abecassis and the valuable painting
The seemingly unremarkable painting of Jesus was donated to 12th-century Holy Trinity in the 1940s and left in a side corridor.
After being identified as a work of influential Flemish master Quentin Metsys it sold for £1.5million at auction, allowing the church to undergo a huge revamp.
Parishioners in Bradford on Avon, Wilts, raised more cash towards the £2million cost of the walls being restored, new seats, heating, lights, toilets and many other changes.
The church, which has been shut since January, has now reopened and will have its first Sunday service this weekend.
The church was able to pay for a complete renovation after finding the painting
Stolen Van Gogh Paintings Found by Anti-Mafia Police
The masterpiece is called Christ Blessing and was painted by Quentin Metsys
Rev Joanna Abecassis said: “When we took back possession from the builders it was incredibly emotional.”
It was such a gift. The difference to the church is amazing
The painting was first noticed a decade ago by an art historian and years of research pinpointed it as Christ Blessing by Metsys.
Investigation found it was sawn in two at some point, with the other half originally showing the Virgin Mary.
Churchwarden Judith Holland said: “It was such a gift. The difference to the church is amazing.”