A photograph taken in 1923 has enabled the parish of Santiago Apóstol in Lorca to recover a missing element of its historical heritage. More than a century later, the main altar once again features the images of Saint Peter and Saint Paul that originally flanked the altarpiece and were lost after the Civil War.
According to the Diocese of Cartagena, the Bishop of Cartagena, Monsignor José Manuel Lorca Planes, blessed the new carvings last Saturday. They were made in polychrome wood by the Arte Martínez workshop in Horche (Guadalajara), the same one that executed the main altarpiece of the church after the 2011 earthquakes. That altarpiece was designed by the bishop himself as part of the church’s reconstruction.
A historic image made the reconstruction possible
The initiative arose after the discovery of a 1923 photograph showing the main altar with the original sculptures of the two apostles, which disappeared during the religious persecution of the 20th century.
“We found a 1923 photograph, taken before the Civil War, in which images of Saint Peter and Saint Paul appeared on the main altar that were not preserved afterward. So I consulted the Pastoral Council and we decided to incorporate both images, made in polychrome wood,” explained the parish priest, José Manuel Martínez Rosique.
Thanks to that graphic document, the parish has been able to restore to the main altar a composition that was part of the church’s history for decades.
A new step in the recovery of the church
The blessing brought together the various pastoral realities of the parish and was celebrated on the eve of the solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul.
During the celebration, Monsignor Lorca Planes thanked the Pastoral Council and the entire parish community for the effort made to recover the church’s heritage. The bishop also wished to highlight the figure of the Pope on the occasion of the feast of the two apostles.
The parish priest described the ceremony as “a very beautiful, very parish and family celebration” and noted that the recovery of the church has been possible thanks to the sustained commitment of the faithful since the 2011 earthquakes.
“Little by little, the parish has been recovering from the 2011 earthquakes thanks to the great work carried out by the parishioners,” he stated.
With the incorporation of the new images, the main altar recovers an element that disappeared decades ago and takes another step in the restitution of the historical and artistic heritage of one of Lorca’s most emblematic parishes.