La Laguna formalizes the award of consolidation works of the ruins of San Agustin for 845,209 euros
This is one of the final acts of the administrative procedure to initiate the work, with a deadline of 10 months and which will allow the space to be visited
The City Council of La Laguna has formalized the decree awarding the work of consolidating the structure of the old church of San Agustin, a building with great heritage value that in 1964 was devoured by a fire and that the Consistory wants to recover through a comprehensive rehabilitation project.
The councilman of Works and Infrastructure, Andres Raya, explains that the signing of the award decree is one of the final acts of this administrative procedure that will lead to the start of work, with an investment of 845,209 euros and an implementation period of 10 months and 20 days.
Andrés Raya explains that this action constitutes the first phase for the complete recovery of the building, “since the first thing to do is to reinforce the structure of the ruins to guarantee their conservation. This long-awaited intervention is the most peremptory given the state in which this heritage jewel is found, so it is urgent to rehabilitate the skeleton of this ancient temple to ensure its maintenance”.
This consolidation project has been promoted jointly by the Department of Works and Infrastructure, which has been responsible for processing the administrative procedure, and by the Department of Historical Heritage, led by Councillor Elvira Jorge, who has managed the budget item. Both areas are working in a coordinated and transversal way on different projects in the field of heritage. The intervention in the old temple of San Agustín has the financial support of the Cabildo of Tenerife, through the Strategic Framework of Insular Development for its execution.
“We have worked intensely and in a coordinated manner to finish the file as soon as possible in the Contracting Service, and thus proceed to the signing of the contract to start the intervention in the shortest time possible”, points out Andrés Raya.
For her part, the Councillor for Historical Heritage would like to thank the technical staff of Works and Infrastructures, the Historical Centre management office and the Historical Heritage Unit for their efforts and work during the different phases of the procedure.
The work will consist, fundamentally, in giving solidity to the ruin from the area of the choir of the old church to the Guillermo Rancés square, without intervening in the adjacent building of the Bethlemites. Elvira Jorge advances that the project of consolidation of the ruins of this Church, now awarded, will allow the space to be visited again when the works are finished, thus recovering an emblematic enclosure.
“We hope that in the commemoration of the 22nd anniversary of the declaration of San Cristobal de La Laguna as a property inscribed on the World Heritage List by UNESCO, our citizens and visitors can enjoy this heritage space by taking guided tours and routes,” said Elvira Jorge, who noted that “since the entry of the current government group in the local corporation, the consolidation of the ruins of San Agustin, once and for all, has been one of the priority objectives.