Rome Newsroom, Nov 27, 2020 / 10:20 am
An art restorer in Germany has offered to restore a decapitated statue of the Virgin Mary in Regensburg free of charge.
Known as the "doll doctor" for his work restoring dolls, Marcel Offermann said that he was moved by the news on Oct. 22 that vandals had beheaded a statue of the Virgin Mary in a Jesuit church in Straubing, Germany.
"Since I repair dolls, sacred figures, and statues by trade, I decided to preserve the Madonna from the fate of Mary Stuart and restore it to its original state," Offermann said in an interview with ACI Stampa Nov. 27.
"I immediately called Mgr. Johannes Hofmann, parish priest of St. James in Straubing, to whom the statue belongs. Now we are in constant contact. He seemed very relieved when I offered to repair the statue."