The Town Hall Finalizes The Restoration Of The Ermita De Nuestra Señora De La Merced, in El Time

Constructed in the last quarter of the 17th century in the town of El Time in the municipality of Puerto del Rosario, the Ermitage has, thanks to the direction of Manuel de la Trinidad, been renovated. The main reconstruction work has been the roof which was damaged during the passage of the tropical storm Delta which hit the Canary Islands, in November 2005.

Jesús de León, Consejero de Infraestructuras y Ordenación del Territorio del Cabildo visited El Time, accompanied by the parish priest of Puerto del Rosario Manuel Merchán, and several neighbours of the town, examined the results of the restoration carried out by the Department of Obras y Maquinaria during last the four months, and costing around 99,135 euros.

The advisor declared to be "very satisfied with the restoration of one of the many monuments that have been declared of Cultural Interest in Fuerteventura”, which in spite of its apparent simplicity, contains unique Presbyterian nave.

The roof has needed meticulous reconstruction because it rests on an ancient wooden structure, which is irreplaceable and therefore it has had to be restored instead of being replaced. Jesús de León also pointed out that the replacement of the ancient roofing tiles has been made with special care, these being made by hand and brought from Valencia, with the objective to respect as much as possible the original appearance of the building.

Manuel Merchán, thanked for the initiative of the Town hall, and wanted to emphasize the importance of "maintaining the usefulness of such buildings as the Ermita De Nuestra Señora De La Merced, as is not only a point of contact for religious groups but is a building of enormous artistic and cultural interest.

Another one of the important aspects of the Hermitage is the altarpiece, which has an image of the imagen de la Virgen de la Merced, patron saint of Mercenaries.

Other buildings of historical importance have also been recently restored including the Lighthouse at El Toston, which now contains a museum highlighting fishing traditions, the reconstruction of the Ermita de San Roque in the Valles de Ortega and the complete restoration of the Archaeological Museum of Betancuria. For which total of 396,000 euros has been invested.

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