One month after there are several cultural spaces in Leiria that will need intervention to recover from the damage. One of them is the castle, symbol of the city, which is at risk of collapsing.
The stones now piled up on the ground belonged to the wall of the Leiria Castle Keep. Built on a hill above the city, the monument was an easy target for Storm Kristin.
Inside the castle, the impact of the wind decapitated 30 large trees, around 80 years old. The rest fell. After cleaning, another concern now arises.
The symbol of Leiria is also the most visited monument in the city. Last year, it logged more than 177,000 entries. But for now, anyone who comes to the door of the castle, built by D. Afonso Henriques in 1135 and which has been a national monument since 1910, will find it temporarily closed.
Several locations without defined reopening
At another high point in the city, on Monte de São Gabriel, the surroundings of the Sanctuary of Nossa Senhora da Incarnação are closed to prevent public access, after part of the roof collapsed.
To contribute to the recovery, a team from the University of Minho de Guimarães came.
Instruments that allow a 3-dimensional reconstruction of space. Documentation that can serve the restoration phase in the future.
The priority in this property of public interest, listed since 1982, is, for now, finding a solution to close the church’s roof. Whenever it rains, the walls become more damaged, as does the interior art.
An example of this are these three paintings, dating from the 19th century, and located in the high choir, which represent the miracles attributed to Our Lady of the Incarnation. In this case, the help has already started to be put into practice by the Ministry of Culture.
A reconstruction that should take months. There is still no date for reopening.
Ballet academy among those affected
For around 20 years, the Annarella International Ballet and Dance Academy and Conservatory has occupied those rooms, in Leiria. It is one of the most prestigious training institutions in this area in Portugal and with a path also recognized outside the country.
His CV has several awards won across borders. The consequences of Storm Kristin were devastating: out of 7 rooms, only one was left intact. But classes did not stop and students were divided into spaces provided by the City Hall.
For more than five years, Cuban teacher Martha Iris Fernandez has collaborated with the school. She is internationally recognized for her training in classical ballet.
Currently there are more than 100 students arriving from various countries. From here came names like António Casalinho, who at 22 years old, dances in one of the most renowned ballet companies in the world, in Vienna.
Videos shared on the internet show the flooding in the only cinemas in Leiria. In the Norte Sul shopping center, the rooms remain closed. A visible destruction, also, in the city center, in the Almoínha Grande Gardenwhere the sculpture “Future” is lying on the ground.
The Moving Image Museum, one of the most popular in the city, has damage to the roof and is therefore closed.
The January storms hit more than 120 cultural spaces across the country. Meanwhile, the Convent of Christ, in Tomar, and the Batalha Monastery, which were among the most affected, have already reopened to the public.
