Religious heritage in Portugal, including churches, cathedrals, concathedral, monasteries and convents, was intervened during the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), with an investment exceeding 243 million euros executed by the state body Património Cultural, I.P. The investment's main objective was the rehabilitation and preservation of Portuguese built cultural heritage, property of the State, responding to challenges of infrastructural safeguarding and the impacts of climate change.
The total budget of 243,220,517.94 euros was divided into three measures: the requalification and conservation of museums, monuments and public palaces, with 84 interventions at an approved value of 192,890,969.35 euros; the requalification of the National Theatres in Lisbon, at a value of 48,319,548.59 euros; and the implementation of the Saber Fazer Programme, with 2,010,000 euros. The works had to be completed by August 31, 2026, according to European Commission rules.
From north to south of the country and in the archipelagos, several buildings still used for Catholic celebrations were intervened, including the Sé of Viseu, the Concathedral of Miranda do Douro, the Sé of Silves, the Church of the Monastery of Leça do Balio, the Church of the College in Angra do Heroísmo, the churches of Graça and Mercês in Évora, and the Church of Santa Marinha da Costa, among others.
The president of Património Cultural, João Soalheiro, stated that the body would execute the total approved value to the cent. The PRR was launched during the Covid-19 pandemic and Portugal was the first Member State to deliver the final version of its plan to the European Commission. An additional measure of 92,790,000 euros aimed to modernize the technological infrastructure of cultural equipment, including the digitization of arts and heritage and Wi-Fi coverage in 50 museums, palaces and monuments.
