UNESCO’s advisor does not give ‘Luz Verde’ to the Cathedral of Burgos to change its doors for new ones by Antonio López

ICOMOS Spain, UNESCO advisor on heritage, has not given ‘green light’ to change the wooden doors of the Cathedral of Burgos by the bronze artist who is doing the artist Antonio López on behalf of the Cabildo of the Temple and the Archbishopric
.

The President of ICOMOS Spain, Jordi Tresserras, has assured EFE that he kept conversations with the council in October of this year and already indicated that, according to his criteria, the doors should not be changed under the conditions that arise.

“They can do the doors they want, but those proposed are not simple and impact on the façade, which can not be modified because the current wooden doors were already there when the cathedral was included in the World Heritage List and not
They can be changed, unless they suffer severe damage, because in another way the cataloging of the temple would be at risk, “explained trasserras.

After recognizing that its report is not binding, the President of ICOMOS has detailed that the council has not yet started the procedures to request the Patrimony Commission of Castilla y León authorization for the change of doors.

In any case, if the autonomic government authorized the change would have to inform UNESCO, which would appoint an international icomas expert, whose assessment if it would be binding.

Even in the “unlikely case” that all authorizations were received for the change of doors, trasserras is convinced that it would not be possible before July 20, 2022, when the VIII centenary of the first stone placement ends
of the cathedral.

The President of ICOMOS Spain has assured that he already informed the Cabildo and the Archbishopric of his support for the exhibition somewhere on the doors in the event that they do not receive the authorization, although as long as they do not impact on the sight of the cathedral.

“They are not normal doors, they are authentic sculptures with a brutal artistic value, but it is the Cathedral that has the Declaration of World Heritage, not the work of Antonio López, regardless of its artistic quality”, explained trasser.

Ensures that it does not understand the reason to argue that the doors, which cost 1.2 million euros covered with donations of entrepreneurs, are necessary to attract more visits to Burgos, when it comes to a place with three heritage of humanity -ata,
The Camino de Santiago and the Cathedral – and whose main temple is not only protected by itself, but also because it is the “emblematic element” of the Camino de Santiago.

Meanwhile, the process of elaboration of the doors continues, which will replace those of the facade of Santa María, currently ‘Puerta del Pardón’ in the Jubilee Year declared by the Vatican.

The Dean of the Cathedral, Vicente Rebollo, assures that one of them has already melted and is about to melt the second smaller one, so it would only be pending the central door, the larger dimensions.

He believes that the change of doors would enrich the artistic value of the temple, since the current wood is not the originals and barely have value.