22/03/2011
Vitoria- Gasteiz, 22nd March 2011.- The tower of Santa Maria Cathedral has no canvas for the first time in the last seven years. It is now possible to see it entirely from the exterior but the restoration works continue inside to make it more accessible.
The tower has been covered by scaffoldings and different canvas during the last seven years but due to the restoration works it will be possible to visit it. The aim of the whole restoration project is to make accessible and possible to visit the more areas as possible, so the tower will be included in the guided visits program.
Before, it was possible to visit the tower until the belfry, to the spire and the lantern, through 109 stepped stairs, and 53 more until the bells.
New interior stairs and elevator
They will be the new accesses to the tower and they will start in the portico. The stair will reach the spiral staircase and the elevator the belfry. In this point there is no architectural barriers and it is possible to make a complete visit inside watching the bells in their original location, and also from the exterior balcony where there is a 360º degree outlook of Vitoria and the surroundings.
The staircase will be made of solid wooden oak, the elevator will have capacity for six persons and it is composed of a glazed box that will permit the visitor to have a dynamic vision of the temple. The predicted restoration works for this year have a budget of 451.000 euros and will be financed by Santa Maria Cathedral Foundation, the Ministry of Culture and the Basque Government.
This works permit to include the tower in the guided visits program in less than a year.
The clock and the bells
As it is possible to see from outside, the bells are not in their original location. They are in Plaza de Santa María, where the public can watch them until their restoration, but the three bells of the spire has been restored. The machinery of the clock has been cleaned and will be soon installed.
Preservation criterion
They have been working in the tower during the last years maintaining the two principal criterion of the restoration works of Santa Maria Cathedral: preserve the historical materials and add new elements using similar materials and techniques.
Between 2007 and 2011 the stone works , the roof and the interior wooden structures have been restored and also everything has been cleaned.