The Museo del Real Sitio de Covadonga presents the three-dimensional reconstruction of the architectural design that Ventura Rodríguez created in 1779 to replace the Miracle Chapel and that was never built. The result of a research and patronage project undertaken by the Fundación María Cristina Masaveu Peterson, it is now on display in Room 2 at the museum (which reopened to the public a year ago), inviting visitors to discover what one of the most important architectural endeavours of the Enlightenment in Spain—the chapel of Our Lady of Covadonga—would have looked like.

With academic advice from Vidal de la Madrid and led by Magoga Piñas Álvarez, the research project consisted in creating a three-dimensional digital reconstruction of the work conceived by the architect Ventura Rodríguez. It was carried out by Alberto Luque González using reproductions of the original plans of the chapel processed with retouching techniques and artificial intelligence to enhance their clarity. 

The virtual reconstruction of the architectural ensemble, commissioned from the architect Ventura Rodríguez by the Chamber of Castile after fire destroyed the Miracle Chapel, was undertaken with immense rigour, meticulous attention to detail and life-size 3D modelling that simulates the point of view of a pedestrian. The colours and textures applied are based on photographs, adding a more realistic appearance. Another requirement was the generation of a 3D representation of the rocky wall against which the chapel was going to be built, creating a landscape similar to what might have existed at the end of the 18th century.

The research project for the virtual reconstruction of the chapel designed by Ventura Rodríguez was carried out within the framework of the patronage initiatives undertaken by the Fundación María Cristina Masaveu Peterson in partnership with the Archbishopric of Oviedo and the Council of the Royal Site of Covadonga, which began in 2015. The initiative presented here marks the end of the Foundation’s long patronage of the Royal Site of Covadonga, which sought to contribute to the efforts to highlight the extraordinary historical, religious and landscape values of this unique site. It also exemplifies the commitment to cultural heritage, with a special focus on Asturias, which the Fundación María Cristina Masaveu Peterson holds so dearly.