Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Velha reopens month and a half after the floods – publico

                 

                         
                     

                 

 
 

After the two floods that inundated the Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Velha, in Coimbra, in January and February, the space reopened to the public on Thursday.

the damage caused by water amounts to between 500 and 600 thousand euros, estimated the head of the Regional Centre of Culture Directorate (DRCC), Celeste Amaro, adding that the recovery and restoration work still have no date set to begin. The amount now that the responsibility remains in the advanced range on the balance sheet of the floods of January. The DRCC will seek Community funding to proceed with the work, and must ensure 15% of total expenditure.

Situated on the left bank of the Mondego River, below the water level , the monastery was flooded twice already in 2016. the first, on 11 January, with the water reaches 5 meters. Then, on 13 February, with about 3.5 meters. The floods damaged the gas supply systems and electricity, as well as the three lifts serving the space and the plaster and mortar of the old building.

The area of ​​the cloisters also require intervention, in particular floor. Inside the monastery, also considered whether it travel a wooden staircase, which has now been put back in place.

Some of this damage had already been found on the first full year. The second came just to “consolidate the damage, but it reached less time,” said Celeste Amaro told reporters.

According to the director of the DRCC, in addition to the repair of systems and lifts, work should include interventions building the walls that protect the monastery and the restoration of access gangways. By evaluating is still the state of the monument’s foundations celebrating this year seven centuries.

Following the floods of January 11, Celeste Amaro pointed out the “abrupt discharges” of Aguieira Dam (concessioned EDP) as possibly responsible for the flooding of the Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Velha. Since reopened to the public after major conservation and restoration work completed in 2009, the monastery had never been invaded by water.

The intervention then performed cost EUR 16 million, six of them for a system of flood protection. A system that stressed Celeste Amaro, “always worked.” As he had done in February, the director of DRCC he spoke on the need to rethink this solution to ensure that water does not back in.

“Everything has to be determined, seen and conversed” . The charge is cautious in assigning responsibilities and says technicians DRCC have had two meetings with EDP since February, but it was not yet possible to reach a conclusion. “Part of the Polis project was not finished and this will also lead to a lot of this water has been here stop. All these land leaked here, so all the surrounding have to be treated, “he considers, pointing to another possible cause.

The coordinator of the Monastery, Catherine Leal Cunha, explained during the tour to journalists by the most affected parts of the space it occupies 30,000 square meters, the spaces and monuments services again open to the public on Thursday, albeit with some restrictions. One is access for people with reduced mobility, since the three elevators remain out of service.

In a month and a half, highlighted the coordinator, it was possible to clean the space and reabir the monastery, in nearly normal, with only its nine workers. For now you can not perform certain events, such as concerts, due to problems in the electrical system and the sound system, which “is probably also damaged.”