At Laarne Castle in East Flanders, lost medieval murals from the 14th century have been made visible once again using digital technology. An illustrator has redrawn them and now they are projected on the vault of the castle's chapel. "The murals are unique because of their age and size."
Unique lost medieval murals to be admired at Laarne Castle thanks to light projection
Colin Clapson
Published:
At Laarne Castle , visitors can see a digital reconstruction of 14th-century murals. "They are unique because of their age and size," explains Matthias Francken of Herita, the organisation that manages the castle.
Laarne's murals depict a biblical story. In the 17th century, they were overpainted with lime, later leather wallpaper was added. The murals were only discovered in 1963, but large parts had already disappeared.
"Nowhere else in Flanders has a chapel been preserved in a keep, let alone one of this size and with seccos," Matthias Francken notes. "Murals in castles, city palaces and private chapels were very common, but because of their private character they were rarely preserved."
Four Biblical scenes come to life via projection
Herita, Tourism Flanders and the Province of East Flanders joined forces to show the paintings to the general public thanks to a digital reconstruction. Art historian and illustrator Joris Snaet drew the missing parts of four Biblical stories. These drawings are projected onto the ceiling and walls of the chapel.
Visitors have to push a button to start the projection. They will then also get to hear the story of a knight, Sir Gerard of Massemen, who proudly talks about his chapel. "The construction of this chapel was a particularly prestigious project," Mr Francken explains. "The Count of Flanders felt that the Lord of Laarne was out of his league. His chapel even surpassed that of the French king and that was really unheard of!"
The murals and Laarne Castle can be visited for a fee.