Historians uncover incredible mural on the ceiling of a Scottish church after it was hidden under five coats of household paint for 200 years
- Ascension of The Lord by Alexander Runciman is being uncovered in Scotland
- The mural, painted in 1774, is located in the St Patrick’s RC Church in Edinburgh
- United Presbyterians considered it idolatrous and covered the significant work
- Mural was discovered by an art critic who said it was in the church in the 1960s
A historic mural has been uncovered in a church – after being hidden under five coats of household paint for 200 years.
The Ascension of The Lord, painted by Alexander Runciman using oil on white plaster in 1774, is considered one of the most significant works of the Scottish Enlightenment.
It is located on the ceiling of the St Patrick’s RC Church in Edinburgh’s Cowgate area, just off the Royal Mile.
Originally an Episcopalian church, the painting was covered up when the chapel passed into the ownership of the United Presbyterians, who considered it idolatrous.
The Ascension of The Lord, painted by Alexander Runciman in 1774, is being uncovered at St Patrick’s RC Church in Edinburgh
The Ascension and four subsidiary paintings remained secret as the chapel became a Roman Catholic church 150 years ago
The Ascension and four subsidiary paintings remained secret as the chapel became a Roman Catholic church 150 years ago.
Art critic Professor Duncan MacMillan studied Alexander Runciman and deduced the painting was in the church in the late 1960s, leading to its discovery nearly 50 years ago.
Father Ed Hone, a former parish priest of St Patrick’s, said in 2007 that exploratory work was started in the 1960s but never moved beyond that due to funding issues.
Restoration work has now begun to uncover and preserve the unique artwork in the church.
Professor MacMillan said: ‘When I realised it had been painted over, I began to think about how we could recover it, 50 years ago, and it’s been a long haul, but now I think we are underway.’
Academic and art critic Professor Duncan MacMillan was central to the discovery of the mural, claiming the painting was in the church in the late 1960s. Pictured: The church’s Father Philip and Professor MacMillan (right)
Restoration work has now begun to uncover and preserve the unique artwork in the church that is noted for forming the Hibernian Football Club
He continued: ‘We have the right skills, the modern materials and of course because it was painted out only 40 years into its life, so under all that paint, it is relatively clean.
‘The paint surface is clean and pretty, you can see how brilliant the paint is, but we don’t know what the damage is.
‘It will be his only surviving work on this scale, and is unique.
‘We don’t know what the Ascension looks like. He painted very quickly, with excitement, so there isn’t a formal drawing of what it looks like, it is a mystery.
‘It is going to be very exciting.
‘We don’t know how much it is going to cost, but we don’t think it will be an astronomical amount, and it should take a year or so, if we get the money.’
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The church’s priest, Mgr Philip Kerr, said: ‘The painting had really been forgotten about, but since the 1970s there has been an interest in doing something – but I think we have the momentum now to get this accomplished’
Pictured: St Patrick’s RC Church in Edinburgh
Professor MacMillan added: ‘After the Reformation, this is the first major piece of religious art since the 16th century, even in England there is not much that is comparable, not on this scale.’
The church’s priest, Mgr Philip Kerr, said: ‘The painting had really been forgotten about, but since the 1970s there has been an interest in doing something – but I think we have the momentum now to get this accomplished.
‘I would very much like to see it recovered, it is a great and exciting opportunity.
‘I used to come to Mass here as a child, but my parents did not talk about these things in a major way: and it is an Ascension, which is a key biblical theme.’
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