Andorra Completes Key Heritage Restorations for UNESCO Bid

Andorra's Cultural Heritage Department has completed restorations of key movable heritage items from Casa de la Vall and Sant Martí de la Cortinada church by the end of 2025, bolstering the Principality's UNESCO World Heritage candidacy titled "Material Witnesses to the Construction of the State of the Pyrenees: The Co-Principality of Andorra."

These works form part of an overarching project to preserve and highlight Andorra's movable cultural assets. At Casa de la Vall, efforts focused on emblematic pieces linked to the country's institutional history. The six-key chest-archive, marking the start of the General Council's historic records, underwent deep interior cleaning, removal and stabilization of metal oxidation, and application of a protective coating for long-term preservation. The Baroque statue of Sant Ermengol—patron saint of the Council—along with its accompanying column from the dismantled altarpiece of Sant Esteve church in Andorra la Vella, received fixation work, surface cleaning, and targeted aesthetic touches to maintain stability and visual clarity. The Principality's earliest documented flag was specially treated for display at the building's entrance.

At Sant Martí de la Cortinada, the main altarpiece restoration stood out as one of the largest recent projects, lasting eight months across 2024 and 2025. Technicians secured loose areas and carried out precise cleaning of the polychrome and gilding layers. Further interventions addressed altar frontals from the chapels of the Virgin Mary—on both the Gospel and Epistle sides, including Mare de Déu del Roser—along with a medieval money chest, a lectern, and several hanging lamps. Prior to these treatments, staff conducted a full inventory of items in the sacristy and oil room. The restored pieces are now held in departmental reserves, awaiting reinstallation in 2026 following conservation upgrades and improved lighting.

The restorations emphasize vital institutional and religious artifacts, with plans to return them to their original locations next year.