Rebuilding of the Chapel of Las Angustias in Villaverde de Arriba, Province of León

Abstract

At the León Trades Center carpentry workshop, as a practical exercise within the 2018 summer courses on structural carpentry, a new Mudéjar-style collar-beam roof framework was built for the Chapel of Las Angustias near León. The design was inspired by the alfarje ceiling over the chapter hall of the Leonese Convent of San Marcos and employs the same structural system and decorative elements: characteristic Leonese timber strapwork with pointed azafate polygons and almendrilla rhomboids. The course had 24 participants: woodwork professionals, construction technicians, and amateur carpenters. Over ten days of work a magnificent roof was built, saving from ruin and demolition an exceptional historic building that has since become the hub of the municipality’s social and cultural life.