The residents in the towns of Sejas de Sanabria and San Martín de Castañeda both located in Zamora were explained firsthand the actions that will take place in their parish churches within the Atlantic Romanesque Intervention Plan. This is a cross-border cooperation project for the conservation of cultural heritage which involves the Autonomous government of Castile and León, the Iberdrola Foundation, the Ministry of Culture of Portugal and the Santa María la Real Foundation, in addition to the Diocese of Zamora, Astorga, Salamanca and Ciudad Rodrigo.
Technical experts from the Atlantic Romanesque Intervention Plan visited today the churches of Santa Marina in Sejas de Sanabria and San Martín in San Martín de Castañeda, both in the province of Zamora. They have met with neighbors and pastors, to explain in situ actions to be carried out over the coming months.
The team has commented that both interventions are part of a much larger project, the Atlantic Romanesque Plan which is a cross-border cooperation project for the conservation of cultural heritage. It includes interventions in more than a dozen Romanesque churches in the Spanish provinces of Zamora and Salamanca and the Portuguese regions of Porto, Vila Real and Bragança.
The Plan, as the technical experts have noted, requires close collaboration between different entities in Spain and Portugal, in particular the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Autonomous Government of Castile and León, the Ministry of Culture of Portugal, the Iberdrola Foundation, the Portuguese Catholic Church and the Spanish Diocese of Ciudad Rodrigo, Salamanca, Zamora and Astorga, along with the Santa María la Real Foundation, responsible for the works.
Sejas de Sanabria
Once the context of the interventions was outlined, the technicians proceeded to explain in detail the specific interventions that will take place in each church. In Sejas de Sanabria, once the altarpiece of the church has been restored, the next intervention will focus on improving the lighting. Thus, the main objective will be to ensure proper lighting for religious services and this will also help to enhance the coffered ceiling with geometric shapes conserved within the building.
Also, thanks to MHS (Heritage Monitoring System), developed by the Santa María la Real Foundation, it will proceed to monitor the environmental parameters and the hygrothermal condition in the building. Therefore, it will guarantee preventive conservation of both the church and the movable goods found within, especially the high altar and paneling.
San Martín de Castañeda
In San Martín de Castañeda, the second phase of the intervention will be addressed, which will focus on three aspects: architecture, restoration of movable goods and lighting.
An important part of the intervention will be the rehabilitation of the sacristy to make it suitable for religious services. This intervention is being carried out at the express request of the residents in the town. During the first phase of the intervention, the Plan proceeded to renew the roof, and rendered the internal parameters and place a wooden raised floor. Moreover, new windows with an electric motor will replace the old ones. In the future, these may be opened or closed by remote control to ensure the maintenance of adequate hygrothermal conditions.
Other interventions consist of covering the upper part of the buttresses with bibs or a lead sheet in order to prevent moisture from penetrating inside the temple.
With respect to artwork, the murals in the apses will be restored and the image of the patron, St. Martin of Tours, will be transferred to a more suitable place for worship.
The improved lighting will serve to enhance the murals of the apses and facilitate worship in the sacristy. Finally, it should be noted that the project involves the design of liturgical furniture such as heated pews or an altar, among other things.
