Last week, Italian police divers returned to the Bay of San Fruttuoso near Genoa to perform the annual cleaning of the most famous underwater monument in the Mediterranean, Guido Galletti's Christ of the Abyss, using high-pressure jets of seawater.
“The technique uses the same seawater and does not damage either the bronze or the ecosystem, because the microorganisms are simply detached and returned to the water,” explained Alessandra Cabella, the art historian supervising the operation. “Lots of fish come to investigate, and it really is a zero-impact activity,” Cabella added, as reported by The Independent.
The cleaning ritual has taken place every summer since 2004, when restorers discovered that metal brushes had scratched the statue's patina, creating cracks where new encrustations took root. In the same year, the right arm, which had become detached, was reattached to the statue, and the gentler water jet that is still in use today was adopted.
The Christ of the Abyss is located about 300 meters from the rocky Ligurian coast, at a depth of 18 meters, between Portofino and Camogli, near Genoa. The statue’s arms stretched toward the light are considered a symbol of peace and protection for sailors and, in Italy, a tribute to those who died in World War II. Thanks to the clarity of the water and the shallow depth, the sculpture is visible from kayaks, paddleboards, and tourist boats.
The statue was lowered to the seabed in 1954 to commemorate diver Dario Gonzatti and all those who died at sea. Galletti cast the bronze using military medals, cannons, and ship parts, then filled the hollow core with cement and iron bars for stability; it was the iron that accelerated internal corrosion, Cabella observed.
The Ministry of Culture's archaeological office describes the site as ‘the most popular diving spot in the Mediterranean’ due to its ease of access and shallow depth. Replicas of the work can be found in Key Largo, Florida, and Grenada, but the original in Liguria remains the region's biggest underwater attraction.
During the August operation, divers equipped with water jets cleaned every crevice of the statue without touching the bronze. The pressurized jet removed the biological layer, which dispersed into the bay, a circumstance that restorers consider proof of respect for the work and the environment.
Written with the help of a news-analysis system.