The Diocese of Santo Tomé reported that a malfunction occurred this Thursday morning when a pipe supplying water to the air conditioner came loose, but El Greco’s painting “The Burial of Lord Orgas” remained undamaged.
The event took place outside the exhibition space, in an air-conditioned technical area. Fire alarms and burglar alarms were activated at the same time at 6 a.m., and an automatic notification from the alarm center enabled us to immediately detect an abnormality. The water flowed down the walls to the locker area, affecting only the floor and supporting elements of the space.
El Greco’s painting “The Burial of Lord Orgas” is reported to be in perfect condition, the Archdiocese reported in a press release. They state that this work has not suffered any damage, has not been infringed at any point, and is fully and successfully protected.
The room where the paintings are displayed has an independent security system with fire detection, access control and alarms for maximum protection. These systems guarantee a certain degree of static and dynamic security “at the maximum level established by current regulations” and guarantee comprehensive protection of the work in any situation.
He is not in danger “at any time”
In addition, it should be noted that in this space there are no pipes or conduits that could cause a water accident, so the paintings are not affected and are not at risk “at any time”.
From the first moment, an emergency plan was activated and action was taken in a “coordinated manner” to solve the incident. The company responsible for maintenance has been notified and has brought forward admission to allow the parish to open normally before 10am. Electrical equipment was also checked by regular technicians and the IT company was notified to reinstall computer systems that were partially affected by water.
The Diocese of Sao Tome confirmed that the situation was “fully under control” and that it was opening as usual and maintaining normal visiting hours.
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