PP deputy Carlos Ester has asked the Canary Islands Minister of Culture why the City Council of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria has not requested help to restore Jesús Arencibia's murals in the hermitage of Santa Catalina, which show damp and fungi.
The condition of Jesús Arencibia's murals in the hermitage of Santa Catalina, located in the Pueblo Canario of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, has reached the Canary Islands Parliament. PP deputy Carlos Ester asked the Minister of Culture, Migdalia Machín, on Tuesday whether the capital's City Council had requested assistance to halt the deterioration of these historical paintings.
Ester denounced that for years there have been warnings about the existence of damp, the appearance of fungi, and a progressive deterioration of the works, a situation that, in his opinion, required decisive intervention. “I find it alarming and difficult to understand the attitude of the City Council of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria in this regard,” the deputy stated.
The minister offers technical collaboration
In her response, Migdalia Machín assured that the only request she was aware of was the one made by the Cabildo of Gran Canaria. The minister expressed her willingness to collaborate when they have the necessary technical reports to preserve the heritage for future generations.
Machín avoided directly pointing to the City Council but made it clear that the Canary Islands Government is open to helping if the City Council formally requests it. “We are willing to collaborate when we have the reports,” she reiterated.
The Cabildo rejects any co-responsibility
The Cabildo of Gran Canaria, for its part, has reminded that the City Council is the only legal responsible for the conservation of these murals. The island institution emphasizes that it has exercised its inspection powers and has prepared various reports due to the municipal failure to safeguard the heritage under its ownership, as required by law.
Furthermore, the Cabildo rejects “any co-responsibility in a process for which the City Council, as the owner, is subject to a procedure for serious infringement by the Canary Islands Government.” In other words, the City Council has not only failed to ask for help but is also being investigated for not taking care of its cultural assets.
For the residents of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, this situation represents a progressive loss of a key element of local heritage. Jesús Arencibia's murals, created in the 1950s, are one of the most emblematic works of the Pueblo Canario, an architectural ensemble that attracts tourists and residents alike. If action is not taken soon, the deterioration could be irreversible.
The PP has linked this case to other initiatives related to the city's heritage, such as the San Juan Battery, which is also in a state of neglect. Ester urged the City Council to take urgent measures and seek regional funding before it is too late.
For now, the ball is in the court of the capital's City Council, which must decide whether to request the technical reports and assistance from the Canary Islands Government. Meanwhile, the murals remain exposed to damp and fungi, awaiting an intervention that seems to never come.
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