Spain 
Italy 
Greece 
Romanesque Cepelos Monastery in Amarante Will Undergo Conservation Works
24 October 2017
The European Union will fund 85% of the conservation, with the local council accounting for the remaining 15%.
The Mancelos Monastery, located in the municipality of Amarante and considered a property of public interest, will undergo conservation works costing 236,000 euros, Rota do Românico announced this week.
The Regional Directorate of Culture of the North drew up the technical plans for the construction, which provides for structural reinforcements to the building and numerous repairs to the roof, walls, pavements, doors and windows.
The interior of the building will be remodelled, and an upgrade to the electrical, telecommunications and security infrastructure is expected.
The renovation is expected to last for about nine months, with the European Union funds funding 85% of the costs, with the remaining 15% paid for by the Amarante city council, under the umbrella of the Association of Municipalities of Baixo Tâmega.
The contract is expected to be signed this week, at the monastery.
The tourist-cultural project Rota do Românico is formed by 58 landmark sites, spread out over 12 municipalities in Tâmega and Sousa.
Although it has undergone several transformations throughout the centuries, the Mancelos monastery, dating from the twelfth century, maintains significant architectural details of the Romanesque period.
The interior of the church contains a number of paintings, namely one found in the main chapel that, according to the Rota do Românico, “may be a depiction of the venerable Bishop Frei Bartolomeu dos Mártires.”
In 1934, the landmark was classified as of Property of Public Interest and became a part of the Rota do Românico tourism and culture project.
Original Story: Público / Lusa
Photo: Nelson Garrido
Translation: Richard Turner