New refurbishment of the roofs of the Santa María de Almocóvar Church in Alcántara

• Iberdrola, through its foundation in Spain, finances a maximum amount of 125,000 euros for the entire project to rehabilitate the roofs of the church
• The restoration work will restore the splendor of the church and remedy the deterioration caused by the passage of time

Iberdrola has signed an agreement valued at around 125,000 euros to develop a project to rehabilitate the Church of Santa María de Almocóvar’s roofs in Alcántara.

This project will improve the conservation and enhancement of the church, which was declared an Asset of Cultural Interest (BIC) in June 1987. The restoration work will allow the church to recover its splendor and repair the deterioration caused by leaks due to the poor condition of the roofs.

The refurbishment of the roofs of the Church of Santa María de Almocóvar is another example of Iberdrola’s commitment to Extremadura and its permanent aim to promote the social value of culture and the conservation of the region’s historical and artistic heritage.

This commitment, was made clear in the agreement signed today in Alcántara by the mayoress of Alcántara, Mónica Grados; the director of the Fundación Iberdrola España, Ramón Castresana, and the Vicar General of the Diocese of Coria – Cáceres, Diego Zambrano.

The mayoress of Alcántara, Mónica Grados, has shown “her most sincere gratitude” as it is a step of great importance for the protection of the cultural and ecclesiastical heritage of Alcántara. She praised the important work of Fundación Iberdrola España to guarantee the “durability of our history” and pointed out that the Church of Santa María de Almocóvar is of “incalculable value”.

For his part, the director of Fundación Iberdrola España, Ramón Castresana, pointed out that “today is an important day for us, this public-private collaboration project will help to conserve the rich cultural heritage of Spain, and in this specific case, that of Alcántara”, indicating at the same time the importance of the commitment that Fundación Iberdrola España has with Extremadura and the province of Cáceres.

Finally, the vicar general of the Diocese of Coria Cáceres, Diego Zambrano, was “very grateful” to the Fundación Iberdrola España and the mayoress of the municipality for signing the agreement and recalled that they have already collaborated in the conservation of other ecclesiastical monuments, such as the parish church of Ceclavín.

Church of Santa María de Almocóvar

The church of Santa María de Almocóvar is a 13th-century Catholic parish church located in the Spanish town of Alcántara, in the province of Cáceres.

It is located in the center of the Plaza de España, at the western end of the old town. During the Andalusian period, the town’s mosque was established here, and after the Reconquest of 1213, it was converted into a church.

In 1254, the Order of Alcántara decided to demolish the building and begin construction of the original church, of which some Romanesque elements remain. The present temple, mainly baroque in appearance, dates from major reforms carried out between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries. In 1987, the church was declared an Asset of Cultural Interest.

Fundación Iberdrola España with culture

Fundación Iberdrola España carries out interventions in artistic monuments and unique buildings to install or improve interior and/or exterior lighting to contribute to the enhancement of the historical and artistic heritage and to improve the energy efficiency of these systems.

Since 2010, the Foundation has also been developing an ambitious project for the restoration and maintenance of Romanesque art monuments in Spain and Portugal, the Atlantic Romanesque Plan, a cross-border cooperation project developed together with the Portuguese Secretary of State for Culture and the Regional Government of Castilla y León, whose second phase is progressing well, promoting the sustainable socio-economic growth of the territory, based on its resources: the people who live there, its natural environment and its cultural heritage.