SW News: In the historic town of Assisi in Italy, a celebrated fresco belonging to Italian painter Cenni di Pepo (Cimabue) is going to be restored by a team of experts. The "Madonna and Child with Angels and Saint Francis" also known as the "Majesty of Assisi", will be the subject of a careful restoration that will begin in January 2023. It is being financed by automaker Ferrari.

According to Fra Marco Moroni, the custos of the Sacred Convent of Assisi, the "Majesty of Assisi," which was made around 1285-1290, is famous because "it represents, in addition to a monumental image of the enthroned Virgin, one of the oldest portraits of St Francis, which, according to tradition, was made from the hints of those who had known him personally."

The conservation project, which will begin next month and will be overseen by a Tecnireco team led by the head restorer of the Basilica, Sergio Fusetti, in accordance with the Superintendence of Archaeology, Fine Arts, and Landscape of Umbria, is expected to last about a year.

The Franciscan friar thanked Ferrari for "supporting and valuing the Italian art of which we are proud custodians." Furthermore, the custos emphasized that "the work also transmits to us the best-known, possibly oldest, and most realistic portrait of St. Francis."

Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna was quoted as saying, "I am a firm believer in corporate social responsibility, which, with the collaboration of public and private entities, has the potential to produce significant results. And, with the project's announcement today, it is in the field of cultural heritage conservation with the friars of the Sacred Convent of Assisi."