After almost four decades of absence, the painting of Santa Eulalia, the work of master Gregorio Vásquez de Arce y Ceballos, the most recognized painter who lived in the Kingdom of New Granada, present-day Colombia, returned to the church of San Ignacio in Bogotá.
The work dates back to the end of the 17th century and was located in a lower altarpiece of the church—located in the historic center—until it was stolen in the 1980s.
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The Society of Jesus did not know the whereabouts of the painting until it was acquired in December 2024 – at an auction held in Uruguay – by the Argentine collector Gonzalo Eguiguren, who owns an art gallery in Madrid (Spain).
However, thanks to a study carried out by the viceregal art specialist, Adrián Contreras-Guerrero, Eguiguren learned that it was a stolen work and decided to return it to the Colombian church.
This act has been appreciated by the Jesuits who administer the temple, who consider it “an exemplary gesture of patrimonial responsibility and respect for the truth of art.”
On its Facebook account, the church of San Ignacio indicated that “the restitution act took place on October 23 in Madrid,” at the Gonzalo Eguiguren Gallery.
The painting of Saint Eulalia was delivered to Father Santiago Tobón Grajales, rector of the Colombian church, who “personally repatriated the work and took it back to its original place.”
“This restitution not only returns a painting to its altar, but also reestablishes a dialogue between cultures, a bridge between times and a communion of memories. Art once again builds links between Spain and Latin America, between the baroque heritage and the contemporary consciences that today recognize and restore it,” they say from the temple.
Likewise, they affirm that it prolongs hope because, “although there are still missing fragments of the same altarpiece, each gesture like this illuminates the path and reminds us that heritage is not measured only by what we conserve, but by the ability to recognize, restore and give thanks.”
Eduardo Berdejo
Professional in Social Communication from the Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos in Peru, I have more than 20 years of experience in Catholic digital journalism. As part of ACI Prensa I have been sent to cover Pope Francis’ trips to Cuba, Mexico, Colombia and Peru, in addition to the Synodality Synod in the Vatican in 2023.