Laurence Dollimore
THE Junta culture ministry has fined Sevilla nuns €102,000 for restorating a 17th century organ without permission.
It comes after the Santa Ines convent in Sevilla transferred the organ to a different workshop than the one that was sanctioned by the Junta.
The organ, by 17th century artist Perez Valladolid, has been a Property of Cultural Interest since 1983.
They were initially fined €170,000 on the condition it would be reduced if they paid voluntarily.
Inspectors imposed the hefty penalty after they found the organ was missing during a recent visit.
The nuns had moved it to the restoration workshop of Don Jorge Anillo, in Alcalá del Río, without informing the Regional Ministry – an offence that carries a €20,000 penalty.
The remaining 150,000 was imposed for ‘carrying out the integral restoration of the organ and of all its sound and mechanical elements without the prior authorization of the Regional Ministry.’
The restoration is now being made, thanks to an agreement with the priory of the monastery, under the direction of Martinez, who has made restorations in the diocese of Sevilla, the cathedral of Jerez de la Frontera and the National Archaeological Museum of Madrid.
In a word PATHETIC!!!