In the January 3, 2022 issue of The New York Times, in an article titled “
Ancient Sanctuaries, Mystery Repairs, Modern Headaches”, Nicolas Casey writes about what seems to be yet another botched restoration of a piece of Spanish cultural heritage. In November 2021, the mayor of the Spanish village of Castronuno in Valladolid Province noticed in a photo taken by his neighbor that there was a modern cement restoration in an archway in the eastern side of the Church of Santa Maria del Castillo. This set off an uproar about untrained restorers ruining another of Spain’s cultural treasures. Some weeks later, older photos surfaced which show that this restoration had been in place since at least 1999 and that several other previously unnoticed amateur restorations and repairs had been made to the building. As a resident who is also the town’s part time tourism promoter noted about the building which is in dire condition, “The cement repair is a scandal, it is ugly, yes. But you want to know the real scandal? It’s that those in charge let the church get this way.”
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