Restoration and conservation of heritage elements in Ibiza Cathedral

The project

With the aim of defending the value of Ibiza Cathedral, work is being carried out on this project that has already begun, which is necessary and urgent for the maintenance of the historical-artistic heritage. The objective is to recover and rehabilitate this cultural jewel as part of the Extraordinary Funding Plan for the Promotion of Sustainable Tourism.

It is the most visited monument on the island and is located on the top of the hill surrounded by the Renaissance walls, which are a declared UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Undertaking the restoration of the church's organ is crucial, as well as restoring the icon of the Virgen de las Nieves and its baldachin, the stained glass windows of the apse and the restoration of the presbytery. In addition, work will be carried out on the roofs, chapels and buttresses of the main façade of the church. 

Main objectives

The description at a preliminary studies level is considered for the restoration of the Cathedral organ by a specialised company; the restoration of the image of Nuestra Señora de las Nieves and its baldachin; the restoration of the five stained glass windows in the apse of Ibiza Cathedral, the presbytery, together with the restoration of the roofs of the chapels and the buttresses of the façade.

Description

The restoration project is an effective answer to the concerns of the property and the Consell Insular de Eivissa to clean up and put a halt to the deterioration process of the roofs of the buttresses and side chapels of the main nave of the Cathedral of Eivissa, caused mainly by the presence of water in all its different forms, which also affects the safety of people, as tiles occasionally fall off the roofs, which could affect visitors to both the Cathedral and its surroundings. 

The intervention involves the dismantling and complete restoration of the affected roofs, recovering the original materials for their reuse in the execution of the work, using materials which are compatible with the building system and the heritage building on which the work is being carried out.

The planned work on the five stained-glass windows of the apse requires the dismantling of all the panels, the levelling and reintegration of the missing parts of lead and glass, and the sealing of the cracks. The panels will be manually caulked in a controlled manner and the corroded support rods will be replaced in order to recover their solidity.

Due it's cost, this project, in itself, exceeds the ordinary budgetary possibilities of the Consell Insular de Eivissa, and a proposal has therefore been made to upgrade it as a candidate project to the ITS’s financial resources.