An ambitious and innovative project will allow the total restoration of the San Jeronimo parish, a centenary building with a great patrimonial value that is located in Vicente García Park.
Las Tunas, Cuba.- The publication on the social media Facebook of the parish itself aroused the interest and expectations of the people from this easter city, inside and outside Cuba, since the works will be very complex and require the integral intervention of the governmental part, plus the religious instances.
The enclave of the church, within the park, and the variety and antiquity of the construction materials that were used in its construction and rebuilding from the 17th century to the present time, guarantee the capital restoration with important modifications in the buildings that are related to each other.
Domingo Alás Rosell, the architect in charge of presenting both projects, said exclusively to the Cuban News Agency that the San Jerónimo de Las Tunas Parish church would lose its roof because its structural elements have failed due to a major plague of woodworm.
In that sense, a new roof will be incorporated by increasing the strut, with very new materials, but alluding to the neo-Gothic design of the church, he said.
Among the novelties of the design is the inclusion of a spire and a group of new technological elements such as an alarm system, and intruder detection, among others; while the interior lighting will be indirect and will have stained glass windows and skylights that are integrated into the ambiance of the temple.
There will also be a skylight in the spire to capture the sun's rays so that every December 25 the cross of Jesus Christ is illuminated inside the building, representing his birth.
Alás Rosell explained that, as a result of the modifications made to the props, it will be possible to enlarge the choir area so that it does not affect the views from the main entrance to the presbytery, in addition to the cross-shaped extensions of the chapels of the Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre and San Jerónimo towards the center of the building.
To make the access to the church more functional, a space will be opened for the entrance of vehicles through Vicente García Street, which will allow quick and exclusive access in case of funerals, weddings, birthday ceremonies, and ecclesiastical festivities, said the architect.
The heritage value of these restoration works endorses this block as one of the most important in the city since historical studies show that this is where the Hato de Las Tunas began to be born and, therefore, it is the epicenter of the eastern city.
