James Imam, Barcelona museum refuses to return Sijena murals to monastery, The Art Newspaper, 16 April 2026
Despite a supreme court ruling, the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya insists removal could damage the “Sistine Chapel of Romanesque art”
One of the most spectacular surviving masterpieces of Romanesque art, the Sijena murals have long been a prominent emblem of Spanish heritage. Now, however, a long-running battle over their guardianship has flared up, with a local municipality accusing a Barcelona museum of failing to protect them properly and threatening legal action for defamation.