Government of Aragón invests 54,377 euros in restoring the altarpiece of Oseja
The General Directorate of Cultural Heritage of the Government of Aragón has allocated 54,377.82 euros (including VAT) for the restoration of the paintings of the main altarpiece of the Parish Church of Santa María Magdalena in Oseja (Zaragoza). The four paintings that make up this listed work of Aragonese cultural heritage are in a poor state of conservation and require urgent intervention.
The main altarpiece is located in the presbytery and is dedicated to Saint Mary Magdalene, the titular saint of the temple. The structure consists of a base, a body with three sections, and an attic, made of carved, gilded, and polychromed wood. The base features four plinths decorated with acanthus leaves that support solomonic columns with Corinthian capitals, housing the tabernacle in its central alcove.
The three sections of the body hold large-format paintings depicting Saint Joseph with the Child (left), Saint Mary Magdalene as a penitent (center), and Saint Francis of Assisi (right). The attic closes with a semi-circular arch featuring another painting representing a saint dressed as a Roman soldier, possibly Saint Maurice. An upper cartouche displays the arms of the patron: the Holy Column over the Agnus Dei, a mountain with a saw, and a tree uprooted.
This work corresponds to the full Baroque style of the early 18th century. Its patron was Blas de Serrate, bishop of Tarazona between 1701 and 1713, who also promoted the reform of the church in Oseja. According to researcher José Luis Cortés Perruca, the altarpiece may have been executed by the mason Juan de la Viña and painter Miguel Pimpinela, who are documented in 1715 as the creators of the main altarpiece in the parish church of Salillas de Jalón, with which it bears great similarities.
State of conservation and planned work
The four paintings show deformation due to loss of elasticity in the linen or hemp textile fibers, with occasional tears and marks from seams and crossbars. The polychromes exhibit thick layers of oxidized and yellowed varnishes, lifting of the pictorial layer, cracking, and numerous losses at the edges.
The restoration project, drafted by Arteayud S.L. in March 2025, includes preliminary studies and analyses, cleaning treatments, and consolidation of the textile support and polychromes, timely chromatic reintegrations, tensioning of the paintings on treated stretchers, and repplacement in the altarpiece. The work will include technical supervision by the Cultural Heritage Conservation and Restoration Service, complete documentation, material studies, and a final report with a preventive conservation plan.
Details of the restoration process
The execution period is four months. Restoration companies can submit bids until Monday, September 8, following the publication of the bidding announcement on the Public Sector Contracting Platform.
