Portal de Cartagena
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The Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment, Javier Celdrán, attended today the inauguration of the Sanctuary of Isis in Cartagena.
The remains, which from now on will be visited on a regular basis, are integrated in the circuit of the Forum Roman Quarter, in the field of the Windmill, whose excavations began in 2003 and where also the Atrium Building and a thermal complex .
The current project is funded by the Repsol Foundation with 4.15 million euros, and runs through Cartagena Puerto de Culturas.
The excavations, led by José Miguel Noguera and María José Madrid, were authorized by Culture in 2013, from where technical monitoring is carried out, and 1.5 million euros have already been invested.
The last interventions carried out (the second part of Phase II) have consisted in the restoration and conditioning for the visit of the Sanctuary of Isis, from which the basement is practically complete.
For this, the same performance criteria have been followed as in previous phases, and the remains can be accessed by a gangway that runs along the edge of the site and descends with a ramp.
Anastilosis or repositioning of architectural elements in their original position has also been made and gaps with related materials have been completed, so as to ensure the preservation of the remains and facilitate interpretation by the public.
Celdrán stressed "the great work done to put in value an essential part of the history and past of Cartagena and the Region, realizing a suitable museographic and architectural adaptation that will allow to visit these remains of great relevance that expand the cultural and tourist offer of The city, which has become an international benchmark in the recovery of heritage thanks to other actions such as the restoration of the Roman Theater, whose museum is the most visited in the region.
Three shrines have been recovered from the Sanctuary of Isis, in addition to the whole environment, including the large underground cisterns that were linked to the rituals performed to the goddess of Egyptian origin.
Construction began in the second half of the first century AD, maintaining its use until the third century.
Its identification with the goddess Isis is due to the sculptural remains found and the parallels with other sanctuaries consecrated to the divinity, whose cult was extended in the imperial Rome.
The Minister stressed "the firm commitment of the regional government to the recovery, conservation and dissemination of our heritage, both historical and cultural and artistic" and also recalled "the commitment also maintained with the city of Cartagena and the site of the Windmill, where The Community invested almost three million euros, financing the first excavations of the Insula I (Roman Forum), as well as its cover and musealization, a project that received the National Prize for Restoration.
Now, he added, "we are witnessing the culmination of a new phase of this broad project that continues to be possible thanks to public-private collaboration and, in recent years, the Repsol Foundation, whose leaders would like to show our appreciation for sharing our passion In the recovery and conservation of heritage and for contributing to discovering new pieces of our history. "
Phases
Insula I or Barrio del Foro Romano is an old 2,500-square-meter Carthago Nova block that has identified the Atrium Building (1st century AD), a fairly complete thermal complex dating from the first century AD and the Sanctuary of Isis .
To this must also be added another area corresponding to the Roman Forum, which is currently working.
Phase I of the new excavations, carried out in 2014, focused on the adequacy of the Roman roads that envelop it, completed with walkways to be able to cover the whole enclave.
Also, the excavation of several rooms was completed and the collapsed mural was recovered.
Phase II work resulted in the identification of the sanctuary dedicated to the Egyptian deities Isis and Sarapis, while the last excavation phase currently underway (Phases III and IV) will focus on the area occupied by the Temple that presided over the Roman Forum and the lower terrace where is the Forum square.
An interpretation center is also planned to complete the visit.
Prior to the agreement with the Repsol Foundation, the Ministry of Culture did different jobs at El Molinete and invested almost three million euros.
The investments focused on the area of ​​the Curia and Health Center (2003-05), the excavations of the Insula I (2007-09) and the realization of its cover and musealization (2010-11), a project that received The National Restoration Award in 2012.
Source: CARM
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