Six panels from the San Lázaro altarpiece go on display restored at the Cartuja
The IAPH shows free of charge until February 28, 2027 the six restored 16th-century paintings from the altarpiece of the church of the Hospital de San Lázaro.
FJCG ·
The six panels from the altarpiece of the church of the Hospital de San Lázaro can now be seen in their original polychromies in the «Claustro de Legos» exhibition room of the Instituto Andaluz del Patrimonio Histórico (IAPH), in the Monasterio de la Cartuja. It is the first time in decades that these paintings have been exhibited to the public, according to the Instituto.
What can be seen
The exhibition, titled «El signo tangible. Memoria y materia en las tablas de San Lázaro», brings together the works by Pedro de Villegas and Juan Chacón devoted to «Jesús con la cruz ayudado de Simón de Cirineo», «La Resurrección de Lázaro», «Noli me tangere», «Coronación de espinas», «María Magdalena penitente» and «Martirio de San Lázaro». Before the restoration they were hidden by numerous old repaintings.
The tour also explains the method of making panel painting in the 16th century, its materials and finishes, and shows the restoration process carried out by specialists from the Instituto.
An accessible visit
The exhibition includes tactile resources, relief reproductions, braille, easy-to-read texts, audio description via QR codes and adapted audiovisuals, with the collaboration of the Universidad de Sevilla, Autismo Sevilla and the Fundación ONCE. A central installation evokes the pointed arches of the church of San Lázaro and allows the panels to be viewed from both sides.
The IAPH team has worked under an agreement with the Servicio Andaluz de Salud, owner of the Hospital de San Lázaro, the Fundación Bancaria «la Caixa» and Hidralia Gestión Integral de Aguas de Andalucía. Under the same agreement, the sculptures of the Crucificado and of San José con el Niño have been treated, and the tile dado of the presbytery has been cleaned and consolidated.
How and when to visit it
Admission is free and the exhibition can be visited until February 28, 2027, at the IAPH headquarters in the Monasterio de la Cartuja (preferred access via Camino de los Descubrimientos). Opening hours are Tuesday to Friday from 10:00 to 13:00 and from 17:00 to 20:00; Saturdays from 11:00 to 14:00 and from 17:00 to 20:00; and Sundays and public holidays from 11:00 to 14:00. It is closed on Mondays and on December 24, 25 and 31, 2026, and January 1 and 6, 2027.
The Regional Minister of Culture, Historical Heritage and Sport, Patricia del Pozo, has highlighted the IAPH restoration process, which has made it possible, in her words, «to bring out the value of some pictorial works from the finest Seville school of the 16th century, very little known to society until now».
