Increasingly, there are more governments, institutions, and entities that respect and implement this premise. For example, in Castile and León, through the PAHIS Plan, designed to safeguard historical heritage of the region, has implemented various territorial systems of intervention which advocate comprehensive heritage management. In these projects, the monuments cease to be just isolated entities to become part of a territory and a community.
In San Martín de Castañeda, a small town in the province of Zamora, the local church is an example of how restoration takes place while keeping the community in mind. For centuries it was one of the main monastic complexes in the province of Zamora. It survived several crises and eventually succumbed to the Royal Order of secularization of 1835. Once the monastery was abandoned, the church has continued to be used as a local parish to this day. But for a village of just 150 inhabitants the building is too large. It is complex to ensure its proper maintenance in winter and to heat the entire temple is mission impossible. The inclusion of the church in the Atlantic Romanesque Plan, represents a significant milestone for the residents of San Martín de Castañeda and especially for its congregation.
Following the general guidelines of the Plan, the technicians in charge of the intervention took into account the demands and needs of the residents. As a result of the ongoing dialogue with the pastor, the project involved the refurbishment of the sacristy as a place of worship. Liturgical furnishings specifically designed for the new chapel were installed as well as heated benches to ensure warmth in winter and which also contribute to reducing energy consumption. Thus, today, thanks to the Atlantic Romanesque Plan and the involvement of various organizations and institutions, the community members of San Martín de Castañeda have ensured the preservation of its church, as well as, have gained a nice and comfortable chapel to celebrate mass.
A comprehensive intervention
In addition to the intervention in the sacristy, the project includes the renovation of the apse roof, improved lighting, and the restoration of furnishings and artwork. More specifically, work was undergone on the fragments of the mural painting located in the apse and also on a wood statue from the 13th century that represents the Virgin and the Child. The Museum of the “Camino de Astorga” has returned the statue to the parish so it can be installed in the sacristy, once the space had been restored as a place of worship. Previously, the statue had been renovated in the workshop of the Santa María la Real Foundation.
All actions have been carried out in phases by the Santa María la Real Foundation. The building is included in the Heritage Monitoring System(MHS), installing different types of sensors, which are determinants in evaluating the solutions applied during the first phase of the intervention and that guarantee preventive conservation.
Participating entities
The intervention in the church of San Martín de Castañeda, is part of the Atlantic Romanesque Plan, a cross-border cooperation project for the conservation of cultural heritage, which involves close collaboration between different entities in Spain and Portugal, in particular, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Regional Government of Castile and León, the Ministry of Culture of Portugal, Iberdrola Foundation, the Catholic Church in Portugal and the Spanish Diocese of Ciudad Rodrigo, Salamanca, Zamora and Astorga. The entities participating in the Plan and others such as the University of Madrid, who collaborated on previous studies, the Bishop of Zamora and the Ministry of Environment, which have facilitated the design of the sacristy, have also joined in collaboration on this project.
