PHOTO CAPTION: An interpretation of the Last Supper of ancient Christian legend is seen on the wall of a modern Catholic church in Yanshuei in southern Taiwan. The fresco is in poor condition due to leaking water and camera flashes from tourists.
An Asian version of the Last Supper fresco by Leonardo da Vinci at a Catholic church in Tainan’s Yenshui village has started to fade and peel as a result of frequent downpours, water leaks and the effect of visitors’ powerful camera flashes and is now in need of financial aid so repair and restoration work can be undertaken, the church said.
Constructed in 1986 and featuring traditional Chinese palace-style architecture, the Yenshui Holy Spirit Church is home to a unique Asian version of the Leonardo masterpiece in Italy.
Unlike the world-renowned mural painting, the Taiwanese version depicted the biblical scene in a traditional Chinese painting style and the 13 figures — originally including the legendary Jesus Christ and the myth of his 12 disciples — were all replaced by Chinese martyr saints.
Instead of bread and wine and the Western-style dining utensils that appear in the original, there are steamed buns and chopsticks.
Other murals within the church are centered around historical Chinese sages, including an image of Chinese philosophers Laozi (老子) and Confucius (孔子) encouraging young children to work hard, as part of the church’s effort to draw Taiwanese closer to Biblical legends.
The rare decoration has received widespread media coverage and has attracted a constant stream of tourists from Hong Kong and Communist China in recent years, with popular Taiwanese TV and film director Wu Nien-jen also choosing the church as a film location.
“However, the ‘Last Supper’ and several other frescos in the church are in a poor state of preservation. The low-lying terrain on which the church is located makes the establishment susceptible to flooding, while its roof has started leaking after the property fell into disrepair,” said Wu Fu-sheng, the church’s Christian priest.
In addition to the water damage, camera flashes have begun to bleach the paintings, which are beginning to flake away, Wu said, calling for financial and professional assistance from all sectors of society to help repair the creations.
