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Spain Culture News
Frescos drawn by prisoners of the Spanish Inquisition go on show in Sicily
By h.b. - Oct 10, 2008 - 7:34 AM

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The artwork on the walls of the Palermo Palace opens to the public after four years of restoration work.

Frescos painted by prisoners being held by victims of the Spanish Inquisition go on show to the public today for the first time. The frescos consist of drawings, prayers and poems written on the walls of the Palermo Palace on the Italian island of Sicily, which the feared Tomas de Torquemada used as one of his prisons.

Hundreds of innocent people were imprisoned, questioned and tortured there between the years 1605 and 1782.
Now, four centuries later the stones will speak for themselves thanks to four years of restoration and a European grant of 6 million €.

Rector of Palermo University, Giuseppe Silvestri, said they were a unique testament to the world linking art with the corruption of power and the church.