Halle (The Brussels Morning Newspaper): Friends restored 21 old paintings in a church’s tower hall which had darkened due to soot from the heating system. The 17th-century artworks depict Lady of Halle’s miraculous rescues enhancing the basilica’s spiritual and historical significance .
Around 25 years ago some friends noticed that the paintings in the tower hall of a church were getting dark and hard to see. They found out that the church’s heating system was making the paintings dirty with soot and it was also making the hall poorly lit. Because of this the beautiful scenes in the paintings couldn’t be seen clearly anymore. After noticing the paintings needed help they decided to fix them. The project took longer than expected but got financial support to restore all 21 paintings professionally. The restoration made the scenes clearer and saved the artwork for the future.
How did the restoration of 17th-century paintings revive the stories of Lady of Halle?
It has been said that the old paintings from the 17th century show how Lady of Halle helped people in tough times. In one painting a boy in a boat is saved from a dangerous river by Lady’s protection. Another painting shows a family in danger being rescued by divine help. These artworks tell stories of how the saint can help people in need showing dramatic scenes of rescue and protection. The Jesuits a group of early believers wanted to show how amazing Lady of Halle was by getting these paintings made. They believed that art could help people connect more deeply with their faith and understand the power of saints. These paintings were meant to tell stories of how the saint protected and helped people inspiring others to have stronger faith and see the value of prayers and help from above.
The special paintings that are important to the basilica’s history and art have been brought back to where they originally were. They were either fixed or moved temporarily and are now back in the basilica as of Monday. The next thing they’ll do is put them in the tower hall of the basilica.It has been said that this spot was picked to show how special and meaningful these paintings are while making sure they are displayed in a place that suits their importance and beauty. The tower hall a fancy part of the basilica will be a perfect spot for these special paintings. They will be hung up in a way that lets people see them and think about them respectfully. Putting the paintings back in their place shows how much the basilica cares about its history and art. By displaying them in the tower hall,visitors can better understand and enjoy the spiritual and historical stories these paintings tell.
