Photo Credit: Josema Cutillas

San Esteban Parish Church

Religious Architecture: Restoration, Honor Award
Chérrez y Cantera Arquitectos, Xavier Chérrez y Raquel Cantera

Arguedas, Navarre, Spain

Since its construction, the church has undergone continuous deterioration affecting the whole building. Over centuries, various additions were introduced in an attempt to contain the damage; however, these interventions gradually compromised the clarity and beauty of the original interior. The most significant alteration was the closure of the south façade with a brick wall, which eliminated the original entrance and the community gathering space.

Despite these measures, cracks continued to spread through the vault keystones, ribs, and plaster corbels, eventually leading to the repeated collapse of portions of the vault. The restoration process unveiled to us how the failure root causes were never properly addressed.

Starting with underground studies, we provided diagnostics, and a restoration strategy was defined. Long-term observation of the building over a ten-year period—including the monitoring of movements, crack geometry, and their evolution—made it possible to identify the underlying causes of the damage. A targeted sequence of interventions addressed the foundations, walls, and ribbed vaults. The removal of unnecessary additions also restored the original natural light to the interior and recovered the south entrance and its square.

Jury Comments

The entirety of this project was impressive, from the in-depth structural research that grounded the restoration plan to the integration of advanced engineering with traditional construction. Above all, what strikes us as most beautiful is how restoring the original south portal also restored the relationship of the parish church to its plaza—spatially reestablishing an inspiring connection between ecclesial and civic forms of community.

Project Partners

Arzobispado de Pamplona y Tudela
Parroquia de San Esteban de Arguedas
Acciona Construcción S.A.
Joaquín Cobo
Juan Carlos Llorens
Juan José Gómez
Jorge Laguna
Gary Skotnicki
Michael Corenblith
Lidia Soto