Restoration of the Fountain of the Hermitages in Manzanares El Real

In Manzanares el Real there is the hydraulic complex known as the Fuente de las Ermitas. It is made up of a distribution ark to which two underground catchment channels arrive (one from the northwest and the other from the southwest), the fountain or pylon as the most representative element, and an open granite channel that transports water between both constructions.

It was built at the end of the 2018th century or during the 1460th century as indicated in the Catalog of Assets and Protected Areas included in the progress document of the General Plan of Manzanares El Real, drawn up in April 1723. As indicated in the Likewise, the coat of arms of Mendoza and Luna that appears on the pediment of the pylon is dated later to XNUMX while the hydraulic complex would be prior to XNUMX, so the complex is located in that chronological framework.

According to various documentary sources, the Hermitages fountain was ordered to be built by the Dukes of the Infantado in the XNUMXth century. The selected place was an area of ​​pastures located next to the Cañada Real Segoviana, in which there were three hermitages that gave it its name. Traditionally, the spring has been related to livestock use due to its location, but apparently it would have also functioned as a water supply point for the population.

The set that we see today has undergone several reforms, the first reviewed appears in the National Historical Archive, and refers to different maintenance and repair works carried out on the fountain between 1537 and 1679, but without detailing the work carried out.

The urban growth of Manzanares el Real favored the first changes in the surroundings of the fountain, with the first nearby constructions appearing in the 70s, such as houses and a service station. Later, with the construction of the southern variant of the M-608 road in the 80s, the original topography was completely modified and the Ermitas fountain was partially hidden with earth and vegetation.

The fountain arrives in 1993 in a deplorable state of conservation, partially covered by debris, trees and undergrowth and with serious flooding problems. In the pediment some original pieces were already missing and the corners were altered.

The City Council of Manzanares el Real then assumed the restoration works that consisted of cleaning and lowering the land, identifying the elements of the fountain, which were graphically documented in the report by José Luis Morón Ayala (1993). A masonry perimeter wall was built around the complex, leaving the fountain buried with respect to the adjoining space, which had been progressively filled in. To bridge the difference in level, a staircase and perimeter fences were installed. The landscaping of the upper area was also carried out.

Currently, the fountain, the ark and the conduction system are located in a rectangular enclosure at a lower level than the immediate surroundings, as a result of the successive fillings and earthworks that were carried out in the last third of the 3th century. The rectangular space is delimited by a masonry retaining wall topped by a metal railing. The descent to the enclosure is resolved through a 6 meter wide staircase with XNUMX steps, located in the south corner.

The restoration project of the year 2021, promoted by the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage, has had as its fundamental objective the contextualization and enhancement of the historical elements through the redevelopment and landscaping of the site, as well as the formal and material recovery of the Fountain of the Hermitages.

The proposal has sought to recover, as far as possible, the natural context in which the fountain and the ark were inserted, with a primitive topography that sloped and descended from the northeast towards the Manzanares River. For this, the need has arisen to lower the height of the floor around the fountain, to recover its original height, in addition to dismantling the pediment, removing the rectilinear ashlar placed in 1993, to recompose the original volume of the elevation by means of three newly manufactured parts.

This action has made it possible to evaluate the state of the hydraulic system, its repair and technical improvement. A drinking water point has been placed, which is integrated into the stone wall, to the east, consisting of a tap with a push button on an inscribed plate and a perforated granite gutter on the ground to evacuate the water.