In October the restoration works of the Parish of San Miguel Arcángel began, with an investment of 1.6 million pesos, as was reported by the Municipal Presidency.
The project involves the rehabilitation of the two domes of the Parish, one of them from the 17th century (the red one) and the other from the 18th century (the Virgin’s dressing room), as well as the restoration of the furniture.
Claudia Escalante, coordinator of the restoration team, explained that in total, improvements will be made in 280 square meters, including the vaults and the main ship of the church.
While the whole building will receive maintenance.
The actions also include disinfection, waterproofing, the removal of a disused electrical installation, as well as the rehabilitation of the doors and side rooms, where there are also problems generated by pigeons.
Claudia Escalante explained that the rehabilitation of the exterior will end in the month of December, while the restoration of the furniture will take a little longer since it is a very detailed process.
The dome of the eighteenth century, which is observed when walking on the street of Aldama, still boasts its original decorative painting, which is extremely degraded, with flaking, pictorial layers at risk and flattened about to collapse due to the humidity on the roofs.
“The damage is considerable, mainly in the domes. The architetural details have been damaged by rainwater and moisture, especially in the interiors,” he explained.
The Parish of San Miguel Arcángel will remain open, but it was necessary to mount a special scaffolding inside, that will remain there while the works continue.
Claudia Escalante stated that to carry out the works they have licenses and permits from the federal government and a large team of local restaurateurs specialized in the theme of wall painting. And obviously the authorization of the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) convened for these tasks to specialists in both architecture and restoration of sacred art and antique furniture.
San Miguel de Allende Newsroom
