Nuns’ Coffins Become Latest Flashpoint in Catalan Dispute
- Puigdemont condemns “plunder” of pieces from Catalan museum
- Contested pieces include nuns’ funeral casks, altarpieces
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The removal of religious artifacts from a Catalan museum has become the latest flashpoint in the region’s independence dispute.
Police scuffled with protesters early Monday as they escorted technicians working on removing 44 pieces formerly belonging to the Sijena Monastery in Aragon, in northeastern Spain, from the museum of the Catalan town of Lleida. A judge had ordered the transfer of the artifacts, which include three exquisitely adorned nuns’ wooden funeral casks and items including paintings and altarpieces, from the museum back to Aragon.