When in August 2012 took place the controversial “restoration” of the Ecce Homo de Borja in charge of the neighbor Cecilia Giménez, the world elevated this event beyond the borders. However, what for many is today a pop icon for others was a symptom of the consequences that taking certain licenses can cause in the state of the estate.
Ecce Homo is the most notorious example of a long list of “snags” that have condemned stone hermitages, historic sites or legendary farmhouses. from the lorca Farmhouse of the Friar until the Roman theater of Sagunto, in Valencia , we traverse a path through Spanish heritage in a terminal state.
Ecce Homo, Borja.
THE HERITAGE THAT SUPPORTS LITERATURE
Next to the road that connects the town of Níjar with San José , in the Cabo de Gata Natural Park sighs an old farmhouse now demolished and embraced by the ocher mantle. Although the hurried vacationer does not usually pay attention to this place in ruins, the truth is that in the Cortijo del Fraile it took place on July 22, 1928 the famous "crime of Nijar" , in which Francisca Cañadas fled with her cousin Francisco Montes on the day of her wedding to Casimiro Pérez.
The crime not only acquired a great social repercussion at the time, but also would inspire the novel dagger of carnations of Carmen de Burgos, Y Blood Weddingby Federico García Lorca . However, few seem to have in mind the importance of this old Andalusian farmhouse as part of Almeria's identity. Since 2012 the Cortijo del Fraile is included in the Heritage Red List given its poor condition despite the constant mobilization of activist groups such as the association Amigos del Parque de Cabo de Gata-Níjar.
“Since the declaration of the natural park in 1987, the institutional plans to value this heritage are numerous and ambitious, but the truth is that by visiting the area you can verify that none of the plans have been minimally implemented ", bill geologist and engineer Francisco Hernández Ortiz to Condé Nast Traveler. “The Cortijo del Fraile is in ruins, with all its roofs fallen and the church looted. Now it is fenced to avoid misfortunes”.
Rodalquilar, Almeria.
The case of the Cortijo del Fraile links to the second (and close) Almeria heritage on the Red List: the set of Rodalquilar mines complex born after the alum mining boom in the 16th century and, especially, the discovery of gold in the area in 1864. A vivid reflection of the history of this arid and magical area where Francisco himself lived his childhood.
“The castle of the alums, the Dorr plant, the Denver plant, etc. A large part of the Rodalquilar Mines is in progressive ruin and no one acts on the problem ”, says Francisco, who highlights the other major problem of heritage conservation in addition to abandonment: the “fudges” on duty. “In Rodalquilar period buildings have not been respected, they have been demolished and new ones have been built that had nothing to do with the originals, although they later defend that the actions have been “restorations”. This is a problem because we are talking about places with great geological, mineralogical and even literary value”.
Os Ancares, Galicia.
OS ANCARES: NEW HERMITAGES
The Parish Church of Tortes it is a full temple hacksaw of You Ancares, in Lugo. A 17th century construction built in stone whose state cried out for urgent reform. However, when the long-awaited intervention ended, the experts realized that the original stone had been covered with cement and painted white.
“In this case, the reason for this reform comes from the parish priest and the neighbors, because they did not request permission from Patrimonio that, equally and despite the information we sent him, he did not take any action of any kind”, he tells Condé Nast Traveler the historian Xabier Moure Salgado . “Can anyone imagine that they did that in the Cathedral of Santiago? There is first class and second class heritage”.
Another nearby case in Os Ancares resides in the typical palloza houses where the neighbors they placed plates on the roof instead of the traditional straw or straw. In this case, Moure assures that the problem is not the fault of the neighbors, since roofing houses with colm represents an investment of thousands of euros, but even so it is prohibitive for the majority.
"Evidently, the administrations are the ones that must regulate this and other types of actions Xavier adds. “In fact, we have the Lei do Cultural Heritage of Galicia from May 2016, but we have already verified that does not always apply and the administrations are the first ones that should make the neighbors aware when it comes to protecting and conserving heritage.”
Roman Theater, Sagunto.
ROMAN THEATER OF SAGUNTO: THE MEMORY OF CEMENT
The city of Sagunto is one of the most historic in the Valencian Community , since it was disputed by Romans and Carthaginians in the 3rd century BC causing the Second Punic War. A historic hatch weighed down by a clear example of disastrous intervention of a Valencian cultural heritage as iconic as the Roman theater of Sagunto.
“The rehabilitation was carried out between 1990 and 1994, and was very controversial from the beginning when considering it a construction of a new theater on the destruction of the original Roman theater ”, tells Condé Nast Traveler César Guardeño Gil, President of the Circle Association for the Defense and Dissemination of Cultural Heritage.
The High Court of Justice of the Valencian Community considered the intervention illegal since it violated the Spanish Historical Heritage Law of 1985. In the years 2000, 2003 and 2008, the Supreme Court confirmed the decision of the TSJCV and gave a term of 18 months to proceed to the demolition of the stands and the stage. Finally, this ruling was appealed by the Generalitat Valenciana and by the Sagunto City Council, alleging impossibility of execution for legal reasons and the principle of efficiency in public spending, due to the cost involved return the monument to its previous state.
Church of Castronuño, Valladolid.
"Unfortunately, there are still interventions and restorations in our cultural heritage that are carried out without the criteria and intervention of a multidisciplinary team in which, in addition to the figure of the architect, historians, archaeologists and professional restorers are present”, adds César. “A problem that also involves public administrations that, sometimes, they do not have some of these figures to control and supervise this type of activity that can end up becoming in bungling very little or not at all respectful with cultural property. When the damage is already done, then it becomes very difficult to reverse it and the damage and destruction they end up being permanent.”
The problem reported in the aforementioned scenarios of Cabo de Gata, Os Ancares and the Roman Theater of Sagunto These are just some examples of the current and unpleasant state of some samples of our heritage. Another important case took place last November, when the mayor of the town of Castronuño (Valladolid) reported a cement vein in an arch of the Romanesque church of the town, as he well collected New York Times.
THE HERITAGE AND THE PEPE GOTERA
Hispania Nostra is a non-profit association declared of public utility whose objective is the defense, safeguarding and enhancement of Heritage since its appearance in 1976 . Currently, the Red List of Spanish Heritage (we also find the Blacklist) and the Green List picked up by Hispania Nostra since 2007 it includes up to a thousand assets in poor condition and at risk of disappearing, destruction or alteration of its values. But, where should we look for the origin of this problem?
“The Spanish Historical Heritage Law It was approved in 1985 and since then we have been given very valuable tools to guarantee the conservation of our heritage,” he tells Condé Nast Traveler. Victoria Vivancos , Professor of the Department of Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Assets at the Polytechnic University of Valencia and Director of the UNESCO Forum University and Cultural Heritage Chair. "I don't think there is a serious problem with the conservation of our heritage, but yes, different situations do occasionally occur, such as those responsible for these goods not wanting to invest in their conservation, for example.”
Sandoval Monastery, Leon.
Victoria also relates the problem to other reasons such as labor intrusion, lack of regulation of the profession and economic resources , or the responsibility of the owners of that heritage: “Professional intrusiveness belongs to a sector of society that does not fully understand that this heritage must be cared for and restored, that this discipline It has been taught in universities for more than fifty years and it is not admissible that these interventions be made by the 'Pepe Gotera' on duty.”
Victoria confirms that, indeed, controlling all these aspects is a difficult matter because there are many factors that come into play, from insufficient financial resources to the regulation of the restoration profession. Fortunately, from time to time new estates come off the list, flourishing lesson learned: cultural heritage it reflects our identity and future generations must remember it. An identity formed by all of us.