The painting of Our Lady of Ransom mounted at the altar of the Vallarpadam Basilica is perhaps as famed as the Basilica itself that attracts thousands of devotees and tourists from far and wide.
Dating back to over 500 years with Portuguese origins, the painting was subjected to a conservation work that lasted seven days and was spearheaded by art and architect conservator Satyajith Ibn and Sruthi Halghoker, conservator from Pune. This was among the first attempts to revive the unique heritage left behind by the Portuguese and the Spaniards during the 1500s.
The conservation was necessitated by the alarming deteriorations to the painting, which was directly executed on wood with a shallow base. It was done to halt the deterioration and revive the original paint layer hidden beneath layers of superficial depositions, varnish, and overpaints.
