Restoration of the frescoes in the église Saint-Martin in Vic

The little church of Saint-Martin in Vic, in the Indre department of France, a charming building dating from the late 11th century (ill. 1), doesn’t give you much idea of the treasure it contains, which was in fact hidden for 600 years before being discovered by chance in 1849 by the parish priest: a major cycle, both in terms of surface area and pictorial quality, of frescoes from the early 12th century, well preserved under several layers of whitewash.
George Sand, whose house in Nohant is not far from Vic, was informed of the discovery and came to the site. Amazed by the ensemble, she supported its classification as a historic monument thanks to her friendship with Prosper Mérimée. This was done on 6 February 1850, less than 40 days after the discovery.

Despite being one of the acknowledged masterpieces of Romanesque art, and even benefiting from a full-scale reconstruction at the Musée des Monuments français in Paris (ill. 2), the work had never benefited from a comprehensive restoration campaign carried out in conjunction with the building itself. Two worksites, in 2019 and 2024, will first restore the facades and roofs of the church, in order to make it watertight, and then restore the frescoes themselves.
The word "fresco" is deliberate, as it refers to the technique of painting murals on fresh plaster, allowing the pigments to crystallise in the layer of lime, making the paint layer more resistant. The south wall of the nave was also painted, but a century later, in the 13th century, using a different technique a tempera (ill. 3). The conservation of these murals, only uncovered in 1987, is less good than those of the late 12th century, and their quality is not equivalent.…