The church of Santo Tomás, of Romanesque origin, is located in the Salamanca town of Forfoleda, in the Cañedo valley, in the region of La Armuña. This is an area of great forest and landscape richness, with emblematic areas such as the largest cork oak grove in Europe. It has a single nave and semicircular apse, which was extensively reformed in the 16th, 17th and 19th centuries. From the medieval period, only the doorway and the triumphal arch remain, dating from the last years of the 12th century.
Intervention
The work carried out on the building, to which the Regional Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Sport has contributed EUR 220,429.94, co-financed with ERDF funds, has focused on the improvement of the surroundings to facilitate accessibility, by using a system of ramps, which allows a better view of the building as a whole. On a central axis of stairs perpendicular to the south door, a set of ramps has been designed that partly adapt and partly modify the terrain to achieve full accessibility.
The apse has been enhanced, marking the plinth on which the church stands, and both the entrance door and the levels inside have been adapted to avoid steps and changes in level. Finally, elements have been installed to protect against falls, always preserving the historical and formal values of a building that has been declared an Asset of Cultural Interest (BIC).
Atlantic Romanesque
It should be remembered that the Atlantic Romanesque Plan is a cross-border cooperation initiative for the conservation of cultural heritage, which includes projects for the restoration and enhancement of some twenty Romanesque temples located in the Spanish provinces of Zamora and Salamanca and in the Portuguese regions of Porto, Vila-Real and Bragança. An example of institutional cooperation and public-private participation, promoted by the Junta de Castilla y León, the Iberdrola Spain Foundation and the Portuguese Ministry of Culture.
In the province of Salamanca, the Plan has carried out different actions, not only in the churches of Forfoleda, but also in San Martín de Tours in the capital, in the cathedral of Ciudad Rodrigo or in the towns of Yecla de Yeltes, Hinojosa de Duero, Cerralbo, San Felices de los Gallegos or Carrascal de Velambélez.
The technical support of the Santa María la Real Foundation and the collaboration of the dioceses of each territory, in this case that of Salamanca, is provided for each and every one of the actions.
