The wall paintings, hidden for 1,000 years, were rediscovered in 1971 and recently restored. Cerula was painted in the late 5th or early 6th century and is depicted in the praying position, hands raised, with the “chi-rho” symbol of Christ over her head. Crucially, she is surrounded by open volumes of all four gospels, suggesting that she had real influence and responsibility.

"Sponsors all want to win a gold medal and that can lead to a closed shop of mainly male designers who have won one in the past.”