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date: 17/05/2012 latest update: 15/05/2012
17th - 19th century. First general alarm and fight against ruin
Photograph of the buttress built by the architect M. Saracibar in 1858 over the site of the former Chapel of the Kings
Picture on the left:Aerial view of the southern crossing (seen from the west). At the top of the wall, the lines of the new stone levels added to support the weight of the wooden roof and relieve strain on the vaults are clearly visible. Picture on the right:Photograph of the buttress built by the architect M. Saracibar in 1858 over the site of the former Chapel of the Kings.
During the mid sixteen-hundreds, the first general alarm was sounded. A number of documents from 1647 have survived which offer a fascinating insight into the problems of the period, when the threat of total ruin was glimpsed for the first time. The documents describe a desperate situation: "what is currently required for the repair of the Santa María Church is to remove all the roofs covering the principal nave and the crossings ... for these rest on vaults and this the reason for the toral arches and crossing having split and the main walls having fallen down ...". Despite the general repair work carried out at this point, during which the vaults were rebuilt, freeing them from strain, and a new wooden roof added, the problem remained far from solved.
In this sense, the 18th and 19th centuries were characterised by the city's inhabitants' dramatic struggle to prevent the total collapse of the church building. The two enormous buttresses built by the architect Martín Saracíbar in 1856 and 1870 reflect the deep-seated concern experienced during this period. The construction of the buttresses required the sacrifice of two chapels (Santa Victoria the Chapel of the Kings), as well as the magnificent Santa Ana entranceway.
