The Castalla City Council gives two lanterns to the Parish Church of Mare de Déu de l’Assumpció
The Consistory has restored the processional beacons before transferring them to the local parish for a period of five years, extendable
The Castalla Town Council has ceded two municipally owned lanterns to the Parish Church of Mare de Déu de l’Assumpció, through a contract for the temporary exhibition and cession of movable property for a period of five years, with the possibility of extensions if there is an agreement between the political and religious entities. The mayor of the city, Antonio Bernabeu, and the rector of the parish church, Salvador Valls, have formalized the agreement.
In this sense, the mayor stated that “these lanterns were formerly used in the processions of the Mare de Déu and through this agreement with the church, we recover their original use and give them to be exposed and used in the religious events of the parish of the Mare de Déu de l’Assumpció”. Bernabeu added that “in Castalla we have a great heritage and from the City Council we are responsible for preserving our history to keep it in good condition, through rehabilitation and maintenance”.
The processional lanterns were located in the hallway of the old Town Hall building, where they were found when the property was purchased, and are part of the municipal inventory. The purpose of this transfer is to give a cultural and devotional use to the elements. In this way, citizens can visit them in the church and will also be used as ornamentation and accompaniment of the image of the Patron Saint of Castalla.
For its part, the councilor of Heritage, Maite Gimeno, explained that “the two old lanterns of the Mare de Déu de la Soledat are an important part of the history and heritage of Castalla, of great artistic quality, and from the City Council we work to put it in value and that the whole town can enjoy them in the parish of our town.”
Through the contract, the local parish is committed to the maintenance of the lanterns for their proper conservation and rehabilitation, if necessary.
The Consistory had already undertaken the process of restoring them. During the treatment it was discovered that the lanterns are made of pewter – an alloy of tin, copper, antimony and lead, in some cases – and were repainted. The treatments lasted three months, until the elements were in perfect condition.