Ourense, October 16, 2023.- The government delegate in Galicia, Pedro Blanco, put the Cathedral of Ourense as a "clear example of the government's commitment to architectural recovery" and stressed that thanks to the more than 200,000 euros of investment of the previous Cultural Program of 1.5% - transformed into 2% in the new call for 2023. He did so during a visit to the building where he supervised the works of the Cathedral’s main altar that were carried out thanks to the 1.5% cultural program of the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda.
The actions that were carried out consisted of the restoration of the polychrome of the pulpits and the renovation of the fences of the main altar. "A building of great relevance given the great tourist and historical value of a building so significant for the third city of Galicia," explained the delegate.
Pedro Blanco stressed that in the province of Ourense the cultural investments of 1.5% exceed 4,000,000 euros, which recognizes the "commitment of the Government with the recovery and enhancement of our heritage, our history and our roots" allowing the recovery of the BIC of O Castro in Barco de Valdeorras or the environment of the Monastery of Santa María de Montevertio.
During the visit, the delegate was accompanied by the deputy delegate of the Government in Ourense, Emilio González; the bishop of the Diocese of Ourense, Leonardo Lemos; the delegate of Patrimony of the Diocese, Luis Cuña; and the territorial head of the Xunta de Galicia in Ourense, Jorge Rubén Sampedro.
2% cultural call
Pedro Blanco stressed that the commitment of the Government to the preservation and enhancement of heritage is reflected in the increase experienced in the percentage of funding of this program in the call of 2023. Thus, the percentage of total investments executed in 2023 went from 1.5% to 2%. Infrastructure to carry out this initiative. This decision translates into an additional 20 million euros, up to a total of 80,000,000 euros available in this year’s call. With this amount, the Government plans to mobilize investments for 110,000,000 and carry out more than 100 actions throughout Spain.
More than 8,000,000 euros mobilized in Galicia
In recent years, this same program has mobilized about 8,000,000 euros in Galicia, of which 5,200,000 euros have been contributed by the Government. This aid was allocated to 11 actions that had a strong impact in the four provinces. The most notable are the restoration of the Casa da Veeduría in A Coruña, for which the Government contributed 1,287,257 euros; the restoration of the historicist pavilion and the perimeter wall of San Martín Pinario in Santiago, which received a grant of 861,004 euros, and the rehabilitation of the Quintans palace in Sanxenxo, which the Government financed with 1,380,736 euros.