Restoration of roofs and facades of the Old Convent of Lozoya
Building from the XNUMXth century, transformed into a convent in the XNUMXth century, located in Lozoya
El Palace Suárez de la Concha, also called the Old Convent, was originally built in the 3th century by the lords of the town, the Suárez de la Concha family. At the end of the XNUMXth century the palace was ruined and was rebuilt by the fourth Marquis of Lozoya. In the second half of the XNUMXth century it was transformed into a convent and was transferred to the Franciscan Conceptionists, later passing into private hands. Currently the property and the farm, of approximately XNUMX hectares, are municipal property.
Located in the southern part of the urban area, the convent was in a very advanced state of ruin with partial collapses of the roofs. Some floors had collapsed and others had broken beams and significant deformations in the center of the span, threatening ruin.
Previous state of conservation
The Old Convent of Lozoya is located on a large irregular plot surrounded by a masonry wall that has three entrances from the street: the carriage passage to the east, large and closed with a tented arch; the lintelled doorway located to the west and the doorway located to the south of the plot, with direct access to an area of orchards (currently a park). There is a fourth entrance in front of the Town Hall square, of modern design.
In 1860, the owner of the building wrote to Queen Elizabeth II to request that a convent of Barefoot Franciscan Conceptionist nuns be installed in Lozoya, offering his newly acquired property for this purpose. After acceptance by the queen, renovation works are carried out to adapt the old one-story palace to the current 3-story building. The chapel was built inside and the nuns' cells and the chapel's choir were located on the first floor. Its vault, which is still preserved, rises to the second floor where the girls' school was also located. A small building was built next to the north façade, which was the home of the plaintiff, the person in charge of carrying out the convent's errands and demands.
The founding of the convent of the Mother of God and Patriarch San Joaquín became a reality at the end of July 1861. After the building was abandoned by the nuns, it became a private residence and inn. For this reason, in the chapel area, a floor was placed on the first floor, eliminating the previously existing double height and taking advantage of it to locate more guest rooms. The existing box vault in that area was also covered with a false ceiling that would adapt to the new rooms.
The abandonment to which the convent has been subjected in recent years has caused the significant problems that afflict its structure. The progressive deterioration of the roofs has given way to the entry of water, rotting the wooden structures and attracting xylophagous insects that have attacked the beams and braces. All of this has caused the collapse of part of the roofs that collapsed onto the slabs beneath them, also causing them to collapse.
restoration project
The intervention focuses on the restoration of the original structural elements and on the roof, to achieve the sealing of the building, recovering the volume in its entirety, causing the least possible alteration to the heritage values and giving preference to repair over replacement. . The proximity of the Casa de la Demandadera, located opposite the exit from the northern façade to the garden, has caused the accumulation of rubble from its ruin in front of the convent façade, disabling this access.
The main works carried out are:
- Lowering of the building. Before beginning the restoration work, it was necessary to carry out meticulous work on shoring up the building. It was necessary to support slabs, walls and other structures to leave the property in adequate safety conditions and to be able to work on it without risk. The building was in very bad condition.
- Cleaning and debris removal from inside the building.
- Restoration of roofs and forging of the second floor, replacing the wooden load-bearing elements that are no longer resistant or that are considered unrecoverable. The floor of the second floor will remain without its upper finish, only with the beams, until the next phase, in which work will be done on the floors of the building.
- Restoration of the original walls in their encounters with the roof and slab structures, especially the two long framework walls that make up the central nave.
- Restoration of the façade sections between the side naves and the central nave.
- Restoration of the ribs that supported the vault encased over the space of the chapel. They were in very poor condition, as was the lining of the vault, which will be replaced in the next phase.
- Restoration of the upper sections of the facades sides, north and south.
The actions related to the restoration of the old Lozoya Convent will continue in subsequent phases that are already scheduled and underway.
Images of the convent before and after the interventions:
