Hundreds of Spanish religious monuments have limited time left if not properly cared for

Neglect has left four hundred Spanish religious monuments in danger of complete degradation,  Hispania Nostra has stated on 30^th June 2022.

Hispania Nostra are an organisation that attempts to promote and conserve Spain’s “cultural and national heritage”. They publish a Red List on a rolling basis of which sites around the country are in dire states of disrepair. The most recent list revealed that many of the neglected monuments are Spanish religious monuments. 

The non-profit conservation group have stated that “monasteries, hermitages, monasteries, churches and hospitals were abandoned, if not razed, vandalised and looted, and what used to be monuments that housed valuable libraries and works of sacred art, were reduced to a heap of rubble”.

These architectural sites include the Sanctuary of the Virgin of Grace (1795) in Teruel in eastern Spain, the Convent of our Lady of Angels (1737) in Cerralbo and the Parish house of Dadin (XVIII) in Galicia. Much of the interior decoration of these monuments has been lost, and in many cases only the vague structure remains.

Hispania Nostra has stated that decorative elements such as frescoes and altar pieces which would have once been grand are being destroyed by humidity and lack of upkeep. This applies in particular to the Hermitage of San Jorge, near Caceras, the beautiful frescoes of which must be attended to immediately, or they will cease to exist forever.

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