Nuestra Señora de los Desamparados Basilica of Valencia

Valencia, Valencia, Comunidad Valenciana.
Special mention / Diploma in the category Conservation / Conservation and adaptive reuse in the year 2005.

Dating of the building: 17th - 18th century.

Applicant: Ignacio Bosch Reig.

Reason for the award :

For the restoration of the dome of the Basilica and the frescoes by Antonio Palomino. The complex technical problems posed by the conservation of this dome, after a long restoration process, have been specially awarded, as well as the use of new technologies for the detection and diagnosis of the pathologies that affected its conservation and its inspection and monitoring.

  • © Beatriz Barrio (www.beatrizbarrio.com)
  • © Beatriz Barrio (www.beatrizbarrio.com)
  • © Instituto Universitario de Restauración del Patrimonio de la Universidad Politécnica de Valencia
  • © Instituto Universitario de Restauración del Patrimonio de la Universidad Politécnica de Valencia
  • © Instituto Universitario de Restauración del Patrimonio de la Universidad Politécnica de Valencia

The restoration of the oval dome with frescoes by Palomino restores the city of Valencia with one of its most unique and beautiful buildings.

The Nuestra Señora de los Desamparados Basilica is, after the Cathedral, the first Catholic temple in Valencia. Consecrated to the patron saint of the city and built between 1652 and 1667, it is the first work with a Baroque plan in the city. The Mare de Déu dels Innocents i Desemparats brotherhood, whose origins date back to the beginning of the 15th century, has many deep-rooted traditions. From its beginnings, it was founded to help the mentally ill – innocents – and to bury the abandoned or executed bodies – desemparats -. It is striking that the figure of the Virgin, in principle a recumbent image, was placed on the coffins of those executed, which would explain the slight forward tilt of her head.

The basilica is characterized by its oval dome, inscribed within an irregular quadrilateral. On it, the painter Antonio Palomino created a set of fresco paintings between 1701 and 1704. The recovery work took place between 1998 and 2004. This focused on the restoration of the drum, the lantern, and the dome, and in particular the paintings of Palomino. The team from the Polytechnic University of Valencia solved the complex technical problems posed by the conservation of the paintings by using new technologies that did not alter their original characteristics or qualities.

Others awards in Comunidad Valenciana: