20/05/2004
20/05/2004 Santa María Cathedral is now one of the main references for cultural tourism in the Basque Country, which adds the increasing interest of its guided visits to the presence of thousands of visitors from all over the world. The initiative to open the restoration of a gothic temple to the public, which is unique in itself, will now incorporate surprising changes.
Visitors to the Old Cathedral in the coming months will be able to enjoy a spectacular new route. The existing contents are joined by important new attractions, such as the possibility to discover the origins of the old town of Gasteiz in situ, the influence of the Cathedral in the later urban development of the city, new archaeological excavations in Plaza de Santa María and a tour around the outside scaffolding covering the portico and the tower.
The guided visits around the Old Cathedral have been consolidated as a product of high cultural and tourist interest, corroborated by the more than 300,000 visitors since the opening. The 2003 edition closed with 64,342 visits, 30% more than the previous year´s edition. This implies that, unlike the first few programmes, the restoration works attract the public´s attention all year round, reaching full capacity practically every day and not just at certain times of year (please see the table at the end of the document).
1.- CONSTRUCTION PROCESS OF SANTA MARÍA CATHEDRAL
These guided tours offer the added attraction of revealing the very latest
results of the archaeological excavations. In addition to increasing our
knowledge of the origins of the ancient settlement of Gasteiz, they have
also enabled experts to chart the construction of the building and its
influence over the city¹s urban development.
2.- NEW AUDIOVISUAL CONTENTS
The guided visits incorporate new audiovisual contents with two projections
explaining the key points to the restoration project and the results of
the archaeological excavations.
3.- CONSOLIDATION OF THE FOUNDATIONS
After the excavation work carried out in the central and side naves, the
project aims to reinforce the columns (some of which are in a very poor
state) and construct a series of arches in order to reinforce the foundations
and lay the new floor structure. The columns are supported by a series
of metal structures designed to take the weight off the foundations while
hydraulic lime is injected to aid consolidation.
4.- NEW PLATFORM IN THE CROSSING
A structure similar to that installed over the cathedral´s main
nave has been erected over the crossing. The aim is to provide preventive
reinforcement to enable the archaeological excavation of this zone of
the building and the repair of the foundations.
5.- RESTORATION OF THE PORTICO
After studying the current state of the portico and the polychrome carvings,
their evolution is presented and the alternatives for future restoration
analysed.
6.- NEW EXCAVATIONS IN SANTA MARIA SQUARE
The results of the archaeological excavations both inside the cathedral
and in the surrounding area were so interesting that the excavated zone
was enlarged in the year 2000 to include Santa María Square.
7.- TOWER AND PORTICO PROJECT
One of the most emblematic projects is the restoration of the tower and
portico. Since this work falls within the framework of a restoration project
that is open to the public, scaffolding will be erected to enable visitors
to access the new exterior zone of the building, which also offers a stunning
view over the city.