Italian churches battle over Caravaggio masterpiece that attracts 3,000 visitors a day

ARTNET
By Henri Neuendorf

Caravaggio The Burial of Saint Lucy (1608) Photo: The Independent

ITALY---The tenth commandment, “Thou shalt not covet," hasn't stopped two churches in the Sicilian port of Syracuse from engaging in a fierce ownership battle over a Caravaggio masterpiece, the Independent reports. (See Sotheby's Wins Case Over $15.8 Million Caravaggio). The baroque artist's masterpiece The Burial of Saint Lucy (1608) was originally exhibited in the Basilica of Santa Lucia al Sepolcro in the Borgata district. When the church underwent extensive restoration the work was transferred to the Santa Lucia alla Badia church on the island of Ortigia. [link]