Orihuela Castle and the Colegio Santo Domingo have been included in a proposed award under Spain’s 2% Cultural programme, with a combined state contribution of €3,067,375.55 for archaeological and restoration work.
The Directorate-General for Urban Agenda and Architecture signed the proposal on 3 November under the 2025 funding round; the amounts are the maximum eligible contributions at this stage of the procedure.
The two projects have a combined budget of €4,354,806.07 and different promoters: the council is responsible for the Castle scheme, while the Diocese of Orihuela-Alicante is promoting the Santo Domingo restoration.
Excavations before restoration at the Castle
The proposed state contribution for the Castle is €600,021 towards a €1,065,000 project, representing 56.34% of its budget; the scheme received 75.28 points in the assessment.
The planned work will begin with archaeological excavations in the Alcazaba and Albacar, with the findings used to define subsequent consolidation, restoration and conservation work on the remains.
The project also provides for the site’s presentation as a heritage attraction and the creation of a route for visitors.
Municipal archaeologist Silvia Yus drew up the project and will be involved in directing the work, with researcher Pedro Jiménez from the CSIC’s School of Arabic Studies collaborating.
The council is also working on an agreement with that institution to bring in other researchers and study the materials recovered during the excavations.
Santo Domingo’s roofs, façades and cloister
The proposed contribution for the Colegio Santo Domingo is €2,467,354.55 towards a project budgeted at €3,289,806.07, which received 79.66 assessment points.
The scheme submitted by the Diocese focuses on restoring the roofs, façades and cloister of Orihuela’s former university.
Historical Heritage councillor Matías Ruiz welcomed the inclusion of both sites in the proposal and argued that archaeological research should come before restoration at the Castle.
The municipal scheme draws on the Castle and Walls master plan approved by the full council in 2018, and the project had already passed the programme’s document-checking stage.
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