The “spiral vaults” in the city of Cáceres, found in ART & SUITE APARTMENT, are an element that has been repeated throughout history, appearing in all the different spots in the town and creating a peculiar and unique pattern which sets this method of construction apart on various scales: from the most humble abode to the most splendid palace, through a church’s choir or hidden away in the many cisterns which provide water to the city.
Everything around us has a history, it comes from somewhere, it has its own identity, significance…
The Vaults of ART& SUITE APARTMENT CÁCERES have an identity of their own. They are exposed, built without the aid of centring, giving them special morphological, aesthetic, structural attributes which make them unique.
However, in the town of Cáceres, World Heritage Site, these constructions, which have survived unaltered through centuries, are at serious risk of disappearing, as the population cover or plaster the vault ceilings to make the inside of their houses completely white.
It is the most singular and distinguishing architectural element of the old town. It is also one of the elements of “high and special protection.” Very few licences are granted that authorise the demolition of a vault.
Their main value is that they are a construction element that is no longer made.
Above their economic or even heritage value, their sentimental value is of importance to their owners. “Vaults are a symbol of the house’s past, of its years of history, and that is priceless.”
Here at ART & SUITE APARTMENT CÁCERES we endeavour to preserve history and art exactly as it was made centuries ago. We have one of the possibly oldest vaults in the city and we can prove it thus: only 2% of the SUITE’s vault ceilings have been restored, and you can see it for yourself in one of the corners of the bathroom. The rest is original, authentic UNESCO World Heritage, never restored or tampered with.
Below you will find a very interesting link to an article in Periódico de Extremadura, explaining the value of the spiral vaults in the magnificent city of Cáceres.
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