Padua’s celebrated Scrovegni Chapel, which houses exceptional frescoes by trecento painter and architect Giotto, was struck by a bolt of lightning on August 9.

The iron cross on the facade was seriously damaged and subsequently removed. The entire electrical system was temporarily knocked offline. The Gazetta del Sud also reports the damage of outside stones.

According to Il Secolo XIX, the news was broken almost three weeks after the event by the local association “the Amissi Piovego.” The group raised the alarm before any statement from city hall was released.