The Minister of Culture, Linguistic Policy and Sports, Vanessa Gutiérrez, visited the Monument to the Miner at La Col.ladiel.la in Urbiés (Mieres) today, accompanied by the town's mayor, Manuel Ángel Álvarez. This visit is part of efforts to enhance the value of this iconic representation of mining culture, aimed at assessing the conservation status of its sculptural components, which have already been analyzed by technical staff from the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage.
The analysis will lead to the development of a project for its restoration, allowing for a thorough understanding of the monument's condition, defining the most appropriate treatment for its conservation, and estimating the budget for future interventions.
Designed by Diego Dorado and inaugurated in 1972, the Monument to the Miner stands at the summit of La Col.ladiel.la, a site closely linked to the landscape and memory of the two mining basins. The composition features miners united by a lamp, surrounded by scenes depicting mining sites and workshops. This unique aspect of the work highlights its protagonists: the workers. The monument pays tribute to the mining community and embodies a way of life built around shared labor and values such as solidarity and camaraderie.
More than half a century after its inauguration, this collective dimension continues to strengthen the connection between the monument and the families and residents of the mining basins. This bond is also reflected in a study conducted by the Chair of Mining Culture at the University of Oviedo, which was recently presented. The study emphasizes the significance of the Monument to the Miner for the community and identifies it as one of the representative elements of a culture that has transcended the mining activity itself to become part of Asturias's social history and identity.
During her visit to Mieres, the minister also toured the chapel of San Xusto to assess its conservation status. The chapel, dedicated to Saints Justo and Pastor, is part of the Casa de los Martínez de Vega and has maintained a close relationship with the history and life of the valley for centuries. Inside, it houses a Baroque altarpiece, one of the chapel's main heritage elements. The connection of San Xusto with this space remains alive, thanks in part to the involvement of local community groups that have contributed to its preservation and to keeping the temple's value present for the community.
