The complete recovery of the Islamic wall of Seville is closer. Once the work on the inner canvas and the Arco de la Macarena has been completed, the restoration of the outer face has already begun and the same will soon be done on the Puerta de Córdoba, the only remaining original. The cost of the works is 1.7 million, financed at 45% by the Government within the framework of the Cultural Program at 1.5%, and has an execution period of 18 months. The successful bidder is the company Patrimonio Inteligente, SL Once completed, the list will be open to visitors and the towers will have been recovered, in particular the one called Blanca or Tía Tomasa, which can house an interpretation center to make history known and evolution. of the monument.
The work that has just started focuses on the outer section between Arco de la Macarena and Puerta de Córdoba. This is the third phase of the overall intervention which, like the interior face, benefits from a major state subsidy. In this restoration, all the data and analyzes that the technicians were able to extract from the previous phase will be very useful. This is how Óscar Ramírez, an archaeologist, explained it: “The criteria are the same. The maximum respect for the original, the reversibility of the materials, the durability… First we will do a cleaning , a treatment to stop the biodeterioration, the salts will be eliminated, the cracks and cracks will be sealed, the loss of material will be stopped, which is not much…”.
One of the novelties is that it will intervene inside the towers which mark out the fabric of the wall. In its rooms there is a small plaster decoration that will be treated and recovered. “They are like small islands decorated with white, Almohad type,” added the archaeologist.
Thanks to the restoration of the interior face, the technicians and restorers were able to verify the existence of remains of white plaster which once gave its shine to the wall. In the external part we also find them: “We know where they are, their materials. In the upper part, both in the Almoravid construction stage and in the Almohad extension, it is present. We also found them in the merlons of the Arco de la Macarena. Now we will analyze the lower part and we will see. We will also study the construction system”.
A complete archaeological paramental analysis will also be carried out by photogrammetry.
License for Puerta de Córdoba
The last phase of the integral recovery of this section of the defensive wall of Seville is the one that affects the Puerta de Córdoba. Its promoter is the Brotherhood of San Hermenegildo, owner of the same. The mayor, Antonio Muñoz, revealed that they already had the appropriate building permit for the first of two phases. For this, they also have a municipal subsidy of 70,000 euros which has already been paid and which is part of the program for the recovery of religious heritage from the Urbanism Department. For the second phase, they will have the same financial assistance that has already been approved.
The objective of this intervention on the Tour-Porte is the enhancement of its architectural features, allowing a historical reading of the importance of the monument as an integral part of the enclosure of Seville at least since the 12th century. In more detail, this first action on the old Puerta de Córdoba will focus mainly on the consolidation of adobe and coatings, the cleaning and consolidation of stone and brick factories and the intervention on carpentry, locksmithing, installations and coatings, as well as a small intervention in the solution to the structural problem posed by the roof exit and which fractured one of the walls. The two wooden and wrought iron doors that are on the covers will also be restored in this intervention.
The works will be executed simultaneously with those of the outer canvas, although the period of execution will be shorter.
A monument of capital importance
The Mayor highlighted the important commitment of the City Council for the rehabilitation of such a relevant monument as the Macarena wall, very underused until now. “Estamos cumpliendo los plazos para recuperar un bien que sentimos muy nuestro. Espero que esté terminado lo antes possible. El objetivo es que pueda visitar la parte de la liza. town”.
Muñoz once again underlined the commitment of the municipal government to recover the heritage of the city with an important investment: “There is currently an investment of almost 70 million euros. We are very committed and there is no has no such precedent”.
Looking to the future, the City Council, together with the University of Seville, has drawn up the Municipal Heritage Master Plan, a tool that will be approved this Thursday in plenary session and which the Mayor considers an important step: “After its period of public exposure and allegations we take it for approval. It is a fundamental document that marks the roadmap. It is born from the diagnosis and indicates the vocation and future uses of the property, if its restoration is necessary or no, or a possible transfer to third parties”.
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