The Atlantic Romanesque Plan’s team has finished the actions in the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, in Pobladura de Aliste, as well as in the Santuario de la Virgen de la Bandera, in Formoselle, both in the province of Zamora. Likewise, the intervention in the Ermita del Castillo, in Yecla de Yeltes, Salamanca, has also been concluded. Furthermore, the three building have been included in the Heritage Monitoring System (MHS) in order to guarantee its preventive conservation.
The Atlantic Romanesque Plan is a project of trans-border collaboration for the conservation of heritage in which the Junta de Castilla y León, the Fundación Iberdrola, the Secretaría de Estado de Cultura de Portugal and the Fundación Santa María la Real, as well as the dioceses of Zamora, Astorga, Salamanca and Ciudad Rodrigo intervene.
The Ermita del Castillo is located in the walled area of Yecla la Vieja, and its origin possibly dates back to the beginning of the XIII century, in what is know as late romanesque. It is believed that is the church obtained its current image in the period of the Catholic Monarchs. The main objective of the Atlantic Romanesque Plan’s intervention was to equip the church with electric energy.
The church now has a sustainable energy management system, very different from the previous gas generator. Another important aspect has been the redesign of the lighting, which allows for the highlighting of the unique features of the church. The veluz like windows, in little accordance with the hermitage, have been removed and a zenithal lighting system has been installed to boost the entrance of natural light, through a specific design.
Pobladura de Aliste, the rebirth of a romanesque entryway
When it comes to the church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, in Pobladura de Aliste, in Zamora, the most important part of the work has been, without a doubt, the opening of a whole in the romanesque entryway located in the northern wall, which was walled. To accomplish this, a steel and alabaster carpentry that enables light to go in has been installed. With it, the historical-artistic interpretation of the building is improved, regaining the original configuration of an entryway that, as explained by the technicians of the Atlantic Romanesque Plan “by its decoration and monumentality, constitutes an uncommon testimony of the architectonic simplicity of the area of the province of Zamora”.
Fermoselle, example of collaboration
In the city of Fermoselle, in Zamora, an intervention was done in the church or sanctuary of Virgen de la Bandera. The intervention was focused on the replacement of the lighting system to adapt it to the aesthetic of the building and to optimize its consumption. In this case, there has been a strong and constant collaboration with the Cofradía de la Virgen de la Bandera, which has contributed economically for the restoration of the altarpieces of the church, the one of San Pedro de Alcántara and the one of Virgen de la Anunciación, located in the transept of the San Juan church.
Furthermore, during the intervention, the participants of the Cofradía have offered to install a new sound system, and thanks to the dialogue with the Plan’s technicians, the installation was integrated with the new lighting, creating an exclusive installation that joins light and sound and that is in accordance with the building with a minimum impact.
Innovation at the service of Heritage
Lastly, it is important to remember that one of the most important goals of the promoters of the Atlantic Romanesque Intervention Plan, the Junta de Castilla y León, the Fundación Iberdrola and the Secretaria de Estado de Cultura de Portugal is to guarantee the preventive conservation of the buildings in which it intervenes. In this sense, all three buildings have been included in the Heritage Monitoring System (MHS) developed by the Fundación Santa María la Real.
