© Fundación Santa María la Real del Patrimonio Histórico
This initiative marks the beginning of a broader effort to reintegrate key sculptural elements from the monastery’s original fabric into their historical context. Various capitals, exceptional examples of Romanesque sculpture, were transferred in 1871 to the Museo Arqueológico Nacional, during the widespread expropriations (“desamortización”) of the 19th century, which had left the monastery in ruins and led to the dispersal of its artistic heritage.
Through exact facsimile reproductions installed in a newly designed immersive space within the monastery, these capitals symbolically return to their original setting. Installed in the Capilla del Cristo, in the heart of the monastic complex, the replicas will contribute to the restoration of the site’s visual and historical coherence. They will also enhance the visitor experience by reconnecting architecture and sculpture in their original dialogue, an experience rarely possible in settings where architectural fragments are displayed in museums, far from their place of origin.
This work forms part of the larger “Bosque Románico” initiative: a cultural heritage project promoted by the Fundación Santa María la Real and aimed at recovering, contextualising, and re-presenting the monastery’s lost sculptural legacy. The project is also integrated into the expansion of the ROM Exhibition Centre (Centro Expositivo ROM), located within the monastery itself.
Montserrat Crespo preparing the silicone mould © Oak Taylor-Smith | Factum Foundation
Aniuska Martin making the final colour retouches © Oak Taylor-Smith | Factum Foundation
A crowdfunding campaign, launched via Hispania Nostra, is now underway to support the second phase of the project. The aim is to complete the digitisation and reproduction of the remaining capitals and to integrate them into the Bosque Románico exhibition. The campaign seeks to raise €15,000 to continue this important work of historical restitution and public engagement.
More than a technical feat, this initiative offers a model for how digital technology and high-resolution facsimiles can be used to reverse processes of loss and fragmentation in cultural heritage.
