The Museo del Real Sitio de Covadonga, invites visitors to discover what one of the most important architectural endeavours of the Enlightenment in Spain would have looked like if it had built—the chapel of Our Lady of Covadonga—thanks to a research and patronage project undertaken by the Fundación María Cristina Masaveu Peterson.
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.
All of these three-dimensional models were combined to create the different plans for the audiovisual reconstruction that offers a global view of the building, mixed with more general plans, ambitious perspectives and camera movements inside the complex to simulate the itinerary and visual experience of pilgrims visiting the sanctuary.
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.
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