• This initiative, which forms part of the Fundación Iberdrola España’s Illumination Programme, will bring the sanctuary to life at night and it marks the 25th anniversary of its designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Cáceres. The Fundación Iberdrola España, the Royal Monastery of Santa María de Guadalupe and the Provincia Franciscana de la Inmaculada Concepción, this morning signed a collaboration agreement for the new exterior decorative lighting of the Royal Monastery of Santa María de Guadalupe, located in Guadalupe in the province of Cáceres.

 

The new exterior decorative lighting of the Royal Monastery of Santa María de Guadalupe marks the 25th anniversary of its designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The monastery was declared a National Monument in 1879 and recognised as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1993. It is the centrepiece of the Foundation’s Illumination Programme and is to be equipped with new exterior lighting that will allow full appreciation of its architecture that is open, plural and disparate in style but achieves an overall harmony by integrating different eras and influences.

The Foundation will apply the most advanced LED technology to refurbishing the lighting of the monastery’s façades, thereby reducing energy expenditure and CO2 emissions into the atmosphere.

This late 14th century sanctuary combines Gothic, Mudéjar, Renaissance, Baroque and Neoclassical styles and is a place of pilgrimage that annually receives many visitors in their search for faith and peace. Within its walls, there are three special museums that only increase the monastery’s historical and artistic value: one dedicated to embroidery, another to choral books and illuminated manuscripts and the third houses a magnificent display of sculptures and paintings.

IBERDROLA, committed to culture

The lighting of the Royal Monastery of Santa María de Guadalupe is another example of Iberdrola’s commitment to Extremadura and its on-going mission to promote the social value of the region’s culture and protect and conserve its historical and artistic heritage.

Iberdrola shows its commitment to culture through significant sponsorship by its Foundation in Spain. The Foundation’s initiatives include the financing and design of the lighting for iconic buildings from our heritage such as Salamanca’s New Cathedral, the Royal Pantheon of San Isidoro in León and the Roman Bridge in Alcántara, Cáceres.

The religious community and Provincia Franciscana de Inmaculada Concepción

The Franciscans have cared for and looked after the sanctuary and monastic complex since 1908 following a Royal Order issued by Alfonso XIII.

In carrying out this assignment, this religious Community has been and always will be open to loyal collaboration with regional, national and international individuals, institutions, organisations and authorities.

This aid has made it possible to care for and look after the monastery and has given rise to a religious, historical, artistic and monumental complex that is in a remarkably different condition and situation from that taken over by the Franciscans in 1908.