April 6, 2011

Course 

THE CATHEDRAL OF PAMPLONA. A VIEW FROM THE 21ST CENTURY

The restoration of the Cathedral façade

Ms. Verónica Quintanilla, Mr. Joaquín Torres. Architects directors of the work
Ms. Ana Almagro. Architect of the Caja Madrid Foundation

On May 24, 2007 a partnership agreement was signed between the Archbishopric of Pamplona and Tudela, the Government of Navarra, the City Council of Pamplona and the Caja Madrid Foundation for the restoration of the façade of the Cathedral.

budget The project, endowed with a total of 4,291,304 euros, contemplated the restoration of the neoclassical façade, the work of Ventura Rodríguez, as well as the adaptation of the spaces once occupied by the Casa del Campanero.
The particularity of this project lies in the methodology that the Fundación Caja Madrid imprints on the whole process and particularly in its character of "project cultural restoration", which distinguishes it from an ordinary restoration project . To this end, the process of previous programs of study carried out, the phase of elaboration of the project and the work itself, have been accompanied at all times by the actions contemplated in a Communication and Dissemination Plan specially designed for the project, whose ultimate goal is to publicize and involve society and in this case the citizens of Pamplona, project of the recovery and revaluation of the façade and its set of bells, showing the technical and economic effort required for an action of this nature and creating a critical awareness in society of the need to know, value and conserve our heritage.
A large technical team multidisciplinary has supported this project in its different phases project, with architects, technical architects, engineers, historians, art historians, archivists, restorers, anthropologists, experts in bells, geologists, museologists, museographers, graphic designers, among others. We have also sought to create synergies with other institutions, such as the University of Navarra, giving the opportunity to young students of the School of Architecture to collaborate in different phases of the project; or the file General de Navarra, which has generously collaborated by restoring and adapting the conservation conditions of the original plans of the project by Ventura Rodríguez and the competition of the façade. 

The restoration works consisted mainly in solving the correct water drainage by placing lead on the main cornices; replacing stone elements that were very poorly preserved, such as flameros and cornice pieces; cleaning the smooth walls with preheated and atomized deionized water; cleaning the decorative elements with laser and projection of glass microspheres; placing an anti-pigeon installation; the restoration of the set of bells; rehabilitation of the bell ringer's house and the interior spaces of the facade.

The restoration process of the bells has meant the recovery of the original sound of the bronzes and especially that of the oldest bell of the set, the Gabriela, which, after its welding process in Germany, will sound again with its original voice.

The project faces its final stretch, after the conclusion of the restoration works in March 2011, being at this moment in phase of supervision and production the "conference room of factory of the facade", a small museum that will occupy the spaces of the old house of the bell ringer.
 

Images of the project Cultural Restoration of the façade of the Cathedral of Pamplona. 2007-2011