Mangaluru: The restored world-class paintings by Italian painter Antonio Moscheni at St Aloysius College Chapel here will be inaugurated and blessed by Rev Francis Serrao bishop of Shivamogga, on Saturday.The chapel was transformed into an admirable work of art by Italian Jesuit Brother Antonio Moscheni, who was a proficient painter trained in the famed Accademia Carrara in Bergamo, Italy. Within two-and-a-half years, he painted the whole church, covering 829sqm.“Silvana Rizzi, from Milan, Italy, the great grandniece of painter Antonio Moscheni, will be present at the function. Nilabh Sinha, principal director, INTACH Conservation Institutes (ICI), Art & Material Heritage Division (New Delhi), will unveil the commemorative plaque,” said Rev Fr Dionysius Vas, rector of St Aloysius Institutions.He told reporters on Thursday that the restoration work of 118-year-old paintings in the chapel was started in October 2017. About Rs 1.5 crore has been spent on the project.These paintings were badly damaged by rainwater (seeping through walls), dust and fungal growth. They were restored by specialists from INTACH-ICI (Lucknow) from 1991 to 1994 under the supervision of Dr Agarwal, the then director of the INTACH-ICI. “Dr Agarwal had told us that the paintings need to be examined every 20 years. On our request, Nilabh Sinha visited the chapel and gave a status report of paintings and made suggestions for their conservation,” he said, adding a team of restorers, specialists in murals and canvasses, from New Delhi were deputed for the work.The work was completed earlier than planned as many were put on the job. The illumination of paintings has been redone with special lights, he added.Renovated museumRenovated and relocated museum of St Aloysius College will also be inaugurated the same day. The museum was started in 1913 by Italian Jesuit Fr Chiapi with minerals, herbarium and a collection of Roman coins, a gift of Collegio Vieta Italy. It has now been shifted from Red Building to its present location close to the chapel, which gives easy access to visitors, especially those coming to see the chapel paintings.The new space has been designed by Mr William James who is an interior designer. The display of exhibits has been planned and executed by Kavitha, who has a masters in archaeology and a diploma in museology.The museum has a main hall with five side halls. It displays curios from around the world like a neolithic stone axe, pieces of the Berlin wall, a piece of a rock from the Arctic among others. Showcases have brass and bronze items, a collection of lamps of African artefacts, antique porcelain vases and dishes and a large collection of cameras. Smaller showcases have 2,000 mineral specimens and fossils, rare stamps and currency notes of various countries.Interesting articles like the first generator which was installed in the college long before electric supply was introduced in the city, the first computer are also housed in the main hall along with a large number of radios, gramophones and television sets.

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