English
On May 21, 1469, Arcís, a young painter working as a journeyman in his uncle's workshop, headed to the cathedral with his family to witness the celebration of Pentecost, with the long-awaited palometa, a large dove that released fireworks as it descended.
This celebration ended with a terrible fire that devoured the paintings decorating the High Altar. As a result of this tragedy, the chapter was forced to make a series of decisions aimed at restoring its lost splendor.
In order to complete the new paintings using the fresco technique, a Florentine painter, Niccolò Delli, was brought from Castile to Valencia. He would conduct a trial run in the Chapter House, during which clashes with some of the canons arose, as well as setbacks in the process due to health problems that prevented him from being able to begin painting the high altar.
All these problems led to the project being entrusted to two local painters, whose inexperience resulted in not only the paintings not being completed but also in their being prosecuted by the city council itself.
Delve into the history of 15th-century Valencia with the author of this historical novel, Eva Ruano Corral, to learn more about this surprising episode in our history on this literary tour.
