Ancient Syriac Missal Restored After Rescue from ISIS in Iraq

A 14th-15th century Syriac missal, hidden from ISIS by Bishop Nathanael Nizar Semaan of Qaraqosh and other Christians in the Nineveh Plain, has been restored in Rome. The manuscript, one of about 200 volumes walled up in a stairwell, was brought to Italy through the mediation of Minister Dario Franceschini and Focsiv volunteers. It arrived in 40 days, was exhibited at the Turin Book Fair, then entrusted to the ICRCPAL (directed by Maria Letizia Sebastiani). Restorers Lucilla Nuccetelli, Maria Luisa Riccardi, Lucrezia Vardaro, Barbara Costantini, and Marta Silvia Filippini worked on the volume, consulting experts Delio Proverbio and Adrien de Fouchier from the Vatican Apostolic Library and Paolo Lucca from Ca' Foscari University. The restoration took over a year, addressing severe damage: compromised structure, fragile paper, unstable inks, broken wooden boards, wax stains, and missing miniatures. Innovative techniques included nanocollagen (patented by ICRCPAL with Tor Vergata University) for leather consolidation and 'three-dimensional hatching' for walnut boards by Claudia Ranieri. Scientific analyses identified pigments: orpiment (yellow), cinnabar (red), and iron gall ink (black). The missal will return to Iraqi Kurdistan, possibly after a visit to Pope Francis. The work will be presented at the Salone del Restauro in Ferrara (September 18-20) and in a forthcoming publication.