Conservation and restoration of frescoes.

Year  :  2023
Project : Volunteering project - Conservation and restoration of frescoes

This volunteering project with the European Heritage Volunteers involved the conservation and restoration of frescoes of the Capela de São Brás in the small town of Portel in Alentejo, Portugal. The frescoes were discovered in 2003 under many layers of limewash, and date back to the 16th and 17th centuries.

The team was tasked with the careful scraping of further limewashed areas to uncover more frescoes; the consolidation of damaged and fragile areas and chromatic reintegration. The team was guided by two Portuguese experienced conservators. There was also the opportunity to try out the fresco technique: the laying out of rough mortar as a base; the mixing and application of intonaco layer and the application of pigments and water onto a series of giornatas.