The interview with the restorer.

This is the interview with Vania López, restorer of the Heaven’s Porch (Ourense)

Question 1: What is a porch?

A porch is like a door that divides exterior world and God’s House, human world and divine world.

Question 2: Could you give us some information about this porch history?

This porch was built in the XIII century approximately and has romanesque style, we can see a lot of sculptures that are used to “tell” that you are entering in the God’s House and you must respect it. In a first moment (more or less 600 years) this little statues weren’t painted, they were only stone. Even this porch, the Glory’s Porch in Santiago’s Cathedral, are the only romanesque porches in the Iberian Peninsula. A curious thing is that this porch was made from a Maestro Mateo’s student, and it was build it like an imitation of Santiago’s one, cause of the peregrination way that passes through Ourense: The Silver Way*(Romanesque 1: St James Way).

Question 3: That is only oldest history, but, what about newest history?

As I said before, this porch, was more than 600 years (centuries XII-XVIII) without any painting, and we know it because paintings are baroque ones, we did some analysis of pigments and finally we saw that were baroques. In my opinion, polychromy is worst than masonry. The reason of colour scarcity is actually a mystery, cause of the costume at the time was painting the inner part, also in romanesque churches with mural paintings.

Question 4: What does the porch represents?

The porch represents different scenes of the Bible, BC-AC, Christ tentations…  Ancient mans we can see up, are the 24 ancient men of the Apocalypse and represent heaven’s door and also instrument represents that you are entering in Celestial Jerusalem.

Close to them, concretely down we see a small statue of saint Martin, saint patron of the city. Statue is from the XVII century.

We can also see demons to represent another doors, but this to hell, and for the people that pecate. Because of a lot of people didn’t know to read, thjey used graphic demonstrations to show a possible future.

Question 5: I the human part, how did you feel restoring the porch?

It was a privilege to restore it and if I could i’ll repeat it one and thousand times.

(Heaven's porch after Vania's restorement)