The National Museum of Art of Catalonia (MNAC) is currently engaged in the process of returning some Romanesque murals from Sijena, which it has displayed in its galleries. However, this move has not alleviated the legal pressure from Jorge Español, the lawyer representing the town council of Villanueva de Sijena. Español has argued for the need for his technicians to access the MNAC’s storage areas to verify that no additional materials extracted from the Huesca monastery have been hidden in the museum's premises.

In response to these demands, MNAC's lawyers firmly stated that there is no legal basis for allowing the town technicians access to their warehouses and archives. The museum claims that all relevant artworks mentioned in the court's decision are already on display in two designated rooms within the museum. This legal dispute over the ownership and return of the artworks represents a continued struggle over cultural heritage between different regional authorities and municipalities in Spain.

This situation highlights the complexities involved in the restitution of cultural items—especially when intertwined with local governance and legal challenges. The MNAC's position reflects a broader concern among cultural institutions about the implications of legal access to their collections, while the ongoing calls from Sijena underscore the urgency felt by local authorities to reclaim what they believe rightfully belongs to their community.