A VICAR has said the loss of the Zurbaran paintings from Auckland Castle would be felt to be “incredibly damaging” by many of his parishoners.

But with speculation mounting that a way may yet be found of keeping the £15m 17th Century paintings in the Bishop Auckland castle, where they have hung for more than 250 years, the Reverend Richard Deimel said he supported moves to put the paintings into a community trust.

As the Save the Zurbarans campaign grows, a third major national art figure has said that he believes the paintings should stay in the castle where Bishop Richard Trevor placed them as a plea for religious tolerance.

The Church Commissioners, who look after bishops’ houses for the Church of England, are pressing ahead with their plans to sell the 13 large paintings in the summer.

Mr Deimel, who is vicar of five parishes in south-west Durham, said: “People here feel they have very little significant heritage of art or architecture in their community.

Many are very proud of the paintings and the castle. They find meaning and identity in their story.

“It would be incredibly damaging, indeed a bit like a final kick in the teeth from the Church and the state, if these left the North-East or went into private hands.”

Mr Deimel, whose area includes the Saxon church at Escomb, near Bishop Auckland, said: “I fully support attempts to build a partnership to retain the paintings in some kind of shared ownership. This would be a boost to the local community and economy.

“It would also release the Church from the responsibility of being a custodian of heritage, because that is not the purpose of the Church.”

In the House of Lords this week, the Bishop of Leicester, the Right Reverend Tim Stevens, repeated that the sale of the paintings was going ahead without any conditions attached to the purchaser.

In a separate development, Charles Saumarez Smith, the chief executive of the Royal Academy of Arts, in London, joined the campaign and said: “It is often a benefit to see paintings in unexpected locations, particularly if they have been there for a long time.”

He added: “Given the current state of the economy and availability of funding for acquisitions, it is unlikely that the paintings would remain in this country if they are sold.”

Nicholas Penny, director of the National Gallery, and Neil MacGregor, the head of the British Museum, have already added their voices to the campaign.

Tickets are on sale for an oratorio which tells the story of the paintings. Entitled The Painter and the Patriach, it will feature 200 singers, 50 musicians and internationally renowned soloists. It will be performed in Durham Cathedral on March 30, at 7.30pm.

Tickets are £16 and £12 for concessions, or £11 and £8 for restricted views. They are on sale at Durham Tourist Information Centre and Cameo Fine Arts, in Newgate Street, Bishop Auckland. Alternatively, call 01388-602180 or email zurbaran@hotmail.co.uk