The Alcalá de Guadaíra City Council is funding the recovery of the altarpiece of the Immaculate Conception in the parish of Santiago with €13,078, which includes a 17th-century Baroque sculpture and five paintings.
The restoration work on the altar of the Immaculate Conception in the parish of Santiago el Mayor in Alcalá de Guadaíra is progressing thanks to the municipal aid programme for movable goods. The delegate for Culture, Heritage and Museums, Christopher Rivas, recently visited the site to supervise the condition of the pieces that make up this artistic ensemble, dated to the 17th century.
During the visit, restorers María del Carmen Cabeza Palacios and María José Cordero explained to the councillor the intervention process for each of the works. Rivas highlighted that “Alcalá will recover the works that make up this altarpiece so that it can be enjoyed by all,” and emphasised “the shared commitment to preserve and promote heritage as an essential part of our collective identity.”
The ensemble subject to the intervention consists of the image of the Immaculate Conception, the titular figure of the altarpiece, a 1.45-metre tall sculpture by an unknown author, created in the first half of the 17th century and attributed to the Baroque style. This sculpture was previously restored decades ago by Manuel Pineda Calderón.
Alongside the image, five paintings on canvas are being restored: “Presentation of the Virgin in the Temple” (120 x 58 centimetres), “Birth of the Virgin” (120 x 58 centimetres), “Saint Joseph with the Child” (130 x 90 centimetres) – a 19th-century copy influenced by Murillo – as well as the paintings of Saint Sebastian and Saint Roch, located on the sides of the altarpiece's attic.
The works were in a poor state of conservation, so the intervention aims to stabilise the materials, halt deterioration processes, and recover the original aesthetic reading. The work is governed by criteria of reversibility, minimal intervention, and compatibility of materials typical of conservation-restoration.
In the case of the paintings, the actions include cleaning, consolidation of supports, repair of breaks, reintegration of losses of fabric, and correction of deformations, among other treatments. The intervention has a budget of €13,078, funded by the municipal aid programme for the recovery of movable goods of heritage interest.
The Alcalá de Guadaíra City Council thus reaffirms its commitment to the protection and enhancement of local historical and artistic heritage. Residents will be able to closely observe the progress and results of these actions, which contribute to enriching the cultural legacy of the city.
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