Image of the Sagrada Familia is taken from the facade of the old Jesus, Mary and Joseph School in Fortaleza

The removal was carried out by a company hired by the City of Fortaleza, through the Municipal Infrastructure Secretariat.

The image would be taken to the Catholic College of Fortaleza, where it would remain temporarily. The transfer was motivated precisely by the structural conditions of the property and the risk of the piece falling.

The Jesus, Maria and José School is a century-old building, listed by the Municipality and linked to the history of the Archdiocese of Fortaleza. Work began in August this year.

The Archbishop of Fortaleza, Dom Gregório Paixão, had formally requested the City Hall to take care of the image of the Holy Family, so that it would remain under the care of the Archdiocese. Initially, the piece would be taken to the Metropolitan Cathedral, but the new destination was defined after a technical evaluation carried out this Thursday.

The Archdiocese of Fortaleza lamented, in a statement, "the misfortune that occurred with the image of the Holy Family during the operation to remove the facade of the old Jesus, Mary and Joseph School, carried out this Thursday, September 17th".

Once restored, the piece will be sent to the Metropolitan Cathedral of Fortaleza, where it will be kept under the custody of the Archdiocese. The expectation is that, once recovered, the image can once again be contemplated and venerated by the faithful, according to the Archdiocese.

"The piece has great historical and religious value, as it was designed to occupy the top of the building built at the beginning of the 20th century to welcome orphaned and poor children, as part of a work dedicated to Christian charity. The Archdiocese continues in dialogue with the City of Fortaleza and monitors the steps for the restoration and preservation of the image", he added.