The Mafra National Palace is undergoing its first major conservation and restoration works, financed by the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), which are on track to be completed in July.
Among the scaffolding, tools and construction cables, Hugo Moreira Luís, president of Mafra Chamber, the entity responsible for the work, stated that “the works that are taking place are aligned with the purpose of completing all works in July, in accordance with what is foreseen in the PRR”, despite some delays resulting from this winter’s bad weather.
The contract, worth 7.3 million euros, included conservation and restoration works in the library, basilica and the monument’s surroundings, including some roofs and facades.
“It was a unique opportunity to carry out a global intervention within the basilica that we are not aware of having been carried out”, explained the civil engineer responsible for monitoring the work, Albertina Rodrigues.
The Cultural Heritage technician explained that “the basilica’s intervention is essentially conservative” to “value all spaces and, on the other hand, mitigate risk situations, for example, fragments that were falling, open joints, infiltrations”, but there was also the restoration of stone surfaces and some heritage.
