Perpetrators Severely Damaged A 300 Years Old Fresco At The St. Nicholas Cathedral in Ljubljana
Unknown perpetrators damaged a 300 years old fresco at the Cathedral of St. Nicholas in Ljubljana. The damage caused by balloons filled with colours amounts to several thousand euros. The incident happened on the evening of January 22nd. The police are investigating, should the vandals be caught they could face up to eight years in prison. The spokesman of the Episcopal Conference, Dr Tadej Jakopič, explains that the fresco was painted in the second half of the 18th century by Julius Quaglio and restored by Janez Wolf in 1872.
Unknown perpetrators attacked and destroyed the fresco of the Annunciation with paint balloons in January 2021. The fresco, which is over 300 years old, hangs on the south side of the Saint Nicholas Cathedral in Ljubljana. The actual amount of material damage is not yet known, but it is supposed to be several thousand euros.
Roman Jarc, the cathedral's parish priest, explains in an interview with a local newspaper that the occurrence must most likely have happened on Friday night. It is said to have broken one part of the fresco and its frame. The damage was discovered on the 24th of January, which is a Sunday evening and reported immediately. This action is seen as an expression of hostility towards Christians and vandalism of a cultural monument.
Dr Jakopič also pointed out that the attacks on Christians and churches are increasing. In the previous year, there were allegedly reported as many as eleven expressions of intolerance towards Christians and churches, as well as more than 60 cases of robbery and theft against priests, nuns and believers.
Since the fresco is a cultural monument of special cultural interest, the culprit faces a prison sentence of up to eight years. The police are still investigating the case.
Sources: rtvslo.si; radio.ognjisce.si; dnevnik.si; 24ur.com