21 October 2015
International Organisation World Monuments Fund includes Água da Prata Aqueduct on the 2016’s World Monuments Watch
The Aqueduct of Água da Prata was one of the 50 cultural heritage sites included on the 2016 World Monuments Watch, by the World Monuments Fund
International Organisation World Monuments Fund includes Água da Prata Aqueduct on the 2016’s World Monuments Watch
The Água da Prata Aqueduct was one of the 50 cultural heritage sites included on the 2016 World Monuments Watch, by the World Monuments Fund – a prestigious non-profit international organisation dedicated to the preservation and monitoring of historic architecture and cultural heritage sites around the world.
This inclusion follows the application presented by the municipality of Évora, early this year, envisaging the promotion and valorisation of the Água da Prata Aqueduct. The future action for conservation and preservation of this iconic monument may prove to be one of the results of the integration in the 2016’s World Monuments Watch.
The visibility of the Água da Prata Aqueduct and of the city of Évora is thus significantly reinforced, particularly on the international level, since it figures alongside monuments and sites as iconic as Petra archaeological site, the cultural heritage sites of Nepal, the Antiguo Colegio de San Ildefonso in Mexico City, the Ladeira da Misericórdia in Salvador (Brazil), the church and convent of San Francisco in Quito, Ecuador or the convents of Seville. Carlos Pinto de Sá, Mayor of Évora, underlines that it is certainly one of the most relevant and positive consequences of the inclusion of the Évora’s aqueduct as one of the highlighted 50 world monuments on the Watch, selected every two years, by the internationally recognised World Monuments Fund.
For its prestige and international recognition, World Monuments Fund opens doors and can be a strong partner in the search for funding, also potentially ensuring all the specialized technical support at the highest level with regard to the restoration, conservation and protection of such monuments.
The construction of the Água da Prata Aqueduct began in 1531. It was inaugurated during D. João III reigned in 1537 and it is integrated in the Historical Centre of Évora, classified World Heritage by UNESCO, having been classified National Monument in 1910.