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The State will invest 92 million to promote the Way of Saint James until 2024.
The Government delegate made the announcement during the visit to the works of the cathedral's staircase and indicated that a work commission will be constituted.
MARGA MOSTEIRO
SANTIAGO / LA VOZ 06/02/2020 14:54 H
Millions rain from the Central Government to promote the Way of Saint James in the face of the holy year 2021 and also to prepare for the year 2027. This was the announcement made by the Government delegate, Javier Losada, during his visit to the restoration work on the staircase and the gate on the Obradoiro façade of Santiago cathedral, which is being financed by the Ministry of Public Works with a budget of 1.4 million euros. Losada said that the State will invest 92 million euros between 2020 and 2024, the period corresponding to the current legislature, to carry out projects linked, among other areas, to tourism, culture, infrastructure and issues related to safety on the
Camino de Santiago, and in the city of Santiago itself. In order to coordinate all the work and proposals, the Government delegate indicated that a working commission will be formed to monitor the proper development of state investments. Asked about the incorporation of the Xunta de Galicia to this commission, Losada said that the "State has its own competences" and the commission has the purpose of watching over its investments. Faced with criticism from the Xunta about an alleged lack of involvement by the central government, the delegate attributed these statements to "a slight nervousness about the electoral stage", and denied the criticism, assuring that "we have a total involvement". He reiterated that, in addition to the 92 million euros, the State will take out two lines of aid, aimed at the municipalities, of 20 million euros in 2020 to finance the recovery and conservation of the Way; and another of 40 million, in 2021, for the same purpose. He also recalled the other 24 million contributed by the State in various works carried out in the Cathedral of Santiago, following the guidelines set by the Master Plan of the Basilica.
Restoration of the staircase
The Government delegate's visit to Santiago was intended to provide first-hand knowledge of the work that has begun on the cathedral's staircase, which also affects the crypt. He was accompanied by the mayor of Santiago, Xosé Sánchez Bugallo, and by the director of the Cathedral Foundation, Daniel Lorenzo, who explained the details of the restoration work that had begun. Lorenzo said that all the stone slabs of the staircase will be dismantled for their rehabilitation, and the grilles will also be removed, which will be restored by the same Compostela blacksmith who carried out the rehabilitation of other iron pieces in the Cathedral. In the case of the grating, Lorenzo commented that the parts that cannot be recovered due to their serious deterioration will be replaced by new ones, but following the historical manufacturing method for the handling of iron. The stone fixings will be made with lead, which is the old system and the one that allows a better conservation. The restoration of the crypt is included in the same package, and an attempt will be made to recover the staircase leading from it to the south tower. In this case, Lorenzo was cautious, and explained that the staircase to the tower will only be freed if safety conditions allow it. Although the execution period for the restoration of the staircase, grille and crypt is 16 months, work is expected to be completed by 31 December this year and both the staircase and the grille on the Obradoiro façade will be visible. The restoration of the crypt will continue until next summer, in the middle of the Holy Year.
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