The Provincial Council of Barcelona has completed the restoration of the east wall of the monastery of Sant Cugat, a monument declared Cultural Property of National Interest (BCIN). The restored section is part of the defenses built in the 14th century and consists of three towers and three sections of wall with an extension of approximately 65 meters.
The current appearance responds, to a large extent, to reforms carried out during the 16th century. In addition, there are also later modifications, such as the elimination of defensive elements due to the Succession War of 1714 or the creation of irrigation cisterns for the exterior orchards inside the towers.
The mayoress of Sant Cugat, Mireia Ingla, and the second vice-president of the Barcelona Provincial Council, Carmela Fortuny, have signed an agreement to continue working together on the restoration and enhancement of the monastery.
The two administrations had already approved an agreement for the 2017-2022 period by virtue of which the Provincial Council contributed 480,000 euros and the City Council 450,000. The Provincial Council has financed the works on the eastern wall based on this agreement.
Ingla has stressed that the monastery is the "most valuable" heritage element of the city and has ensured that it connects the residents with their medieval past, as well as being the "symbol par excellence of the municipality". That is why he has opined that preserving "this treasure is the duty of the administrations".
For his part, Fortuny recalled that in 20217 the wall "fell down" and that two years ago "we had a draft drafted and we conspired with the City Council to push it forward." For the second vice-president of the Diputació de Barcelona, it is "important to understand where we come from and this restoration explains things about our past".
According to the City Council and the Diputació, the land where the walls are arranged has a high archaeological potential, with a long sequence of 2,000 years of use since Roman times. The works that have now been carried out have also included an archaeological investigation within the walls, with the excavation of several probes to collect more data on the walls and analyze the archaeological potential of the sector.
The investigation has allowed us to confirm that the foundation and the base of the construction originate from the 14th century and that two centuries later, in the 16th century, it was remodeled.
Coinciding with the completion of the works, the City Council has organized a conference on Saturday April 1 and Sunday April 2 with the title 'Assaltem la Muralla', with the aim of disseminating and informing the public about the restoration carried out.
