MYSTERIOUS FIRE
FAMOUS ROME CHURCH RARE FRESCOES RUINED LONDON, Jan. 3. Mystery surrounds the disastrous fire which broke out in the Apostolic Chancellery and in the famous adjacent Church of San Lorenzo, Rome, on New Year’s Eve. “There seem to be certain curious circumstances, such as the alleged simultaneous outbreaks in more than one place and the extreme rapidity with which the flames spread,” says the Rome correspondent of The Times.
The priceless contents of the church are known to countless people, especially Roman Catholics and art lovers all over the world. The Chancellery itself was universally regarded as the best specimen of early Renaissance architecture in the world.
Fortunately the most valuable contents of the church were saved, such as what is claimed to be an autHentic portrait ot the Virgin Mary, but the Vasari frescoes, illustrating the life of Pope Paul 111, were irreparably damaged.
The Papal Secretary ot State, Cardinal Maglione, has already visited the ruins. He has reported to the Pope that it is impossible accurately to estimate the damage. The Chancellery was insured for the equivalent dl £100J)00.
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Bibliographic details
Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20142, 11 January 1940, Page 2
Word Count
183MYSTERIOUS FIRE Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20142, 11 January 1940, Page 2
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