Moving or disappearing. The transfer proposals of the churches of Santa Maria de Monfero and Santa María de Montederramo

Abstract

In this article we analyze one of the monumental restoration practices practiced during
the second half of the 20th century, which is not sufficiently known: the transfer of historic buildings. Specifically, two proposals for clearing raised in Galicia are shown:that of the monastery of Santa María de Monfero, in the province of A Coruña, and thatof Santa María de Montederramo, in the province of Ourense. In the middle of the lastcentury these two monasteries were in a poor state of conservation, due to interventionsthat were not respectful of their historical values and to a prolonged abandonment went back to the years of the nineteenth-century disentailments. Therefore, following the model used in other national monuments, it was proposed to move the facades of its churches to the cities of A Coruña and Vigo. Among the arguments that supported this action was the one that considered that only its clearing and relocation would guarantee its safeguard, at the same time that it would contribute to the embellishment of the cities. Through the emptying of the press of the time have been able to study these proposals and the strong opposition risen between the local community and among some intellectuals who contributed to the idea finally not prospering.