The Community grants 1.35 million to the Parroquia de la Paloma

The Community of Madrid has formalized a direct grant of 1,350,000 euros to the Parish of Virgen de la Paloma and San Pedro el Real to finance the new construction for the replacement of the building that will house the parish center and the religious residence, located at 98 Toledo Street. The agreement was signed on October 8, 2026, and is published in the Official Gazette of the Community of Madrid (B.O.C.M.) number 269, dated November 9, 2026, in section I.D) Announcements, within the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Sport (reference BOCM-20261109-15, file 03/16.794/26).

Prior authorization and regulatory framework

The Governing Council, upon the proposal of the Minister of Culture, Tourism and Sport and following deliberation in its session on September 30, 2026, authorized the signing of the agreement. The file includes the report from the head of the Ministry, dated April 22, 2026, regarding the exceptional reasons justifying the use of a direct grant, as provided for in articles 4.5 c) 3rd of Law 2/1995, of March 8, on Grants of the Community of Madrid, and 8 c) of Decree 48/2019, of June 10.

The aid is processed within the framework of the strategic plan approved by Order 1999/2023, of November 13, and updated by Order 192/2026, of February 12, and is charged to sub-concept 78099 of Program 337C “Historical-Artistic Heritage” of the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and the Spanish Language Office. The text is signed by Minister Mariano de Paco Serrano and parish priest Gabriel Benedicto Casanova.

A building disabled after a gas explosion

The property suffered a gas explosion that left it unusable and prevented all the cultural, social, and religious work that the parish carried out with families, lonely people, youth, and the elderly. The projected action is located next to the Church of the Virgen de la Paloma and the La Salle-La Paloma school, both considered Assets of Patrimonial Interest, although the new construction does not have specific heritage protection according to the third additional provision of Law 8/2023, of March 30, on Cultural Heritage of the Community of Madrid.

The basic and execution project was drafted by Enrique Álvarez-Sala Walther and Alberto Martín Hernández, with the endorsement of the Official College of Architects of Madrid dated April 25, 2025. The contract budget for the entirety of the work amounts to 5,194,663.35 euros, excluding VAT, such that the grant covers part of the cost and the parish assumes the remaining financing. The intervention is located within the Recinto de la Villa de Madrid, a historical complex declared BIC 41/1995 on April 27, 1995.

Payment schedule and obligations

The agreement establishes the following economic and execution conditions:

• 2026 Fiscal Year: 600,000 euros, in a single payment as an advance.
• 2027 Fiscal Year: 750,000 euros, via quarterly payments in four equal installments.
• Eligible execution period: from January 1, 2026, to December 31, 2027.
• Justification of expenditure and submission of Annex II: until March 31, 2028, which is also the expiration date of the agreement.
• Maintenance of the building’s use for at least ten years from the completion of the works.

Advances are exempt from guarantees according to the fund allocation plan authorized by the resolution of July 21, 2026, of the General Directorate of Financial Policy and Treasury. Before the start of the works, a favorable opinion from the Local Commission of Historical Heritage of Madrid or the municipal heritage protection body will be required, in addition to the urban planning license; these may not be replaced by a responsible declaration. Failure to complete the work on time or modifications that alter its purpose are grounds for reimbursement.

Monitoring is the responsibility of a joint commission with representatives from the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and the Spanish Office and the parish, including vicar Marcos Santiago Paz Rincón, the project architect, and the Works Department of the Archbishopric of Madrid, although the powers of control and interpretation are exclusive to the Community of Madrid.

The text is published more than twenty days after its signing, despite the fact that Article 23.2 of Law 10/2019, of April 10, on transparency and participation requires agreements to be disseminated in the B.O.C.M. within the following twenty days. The operation is part of the nominative aid line of the Culture area and makes the parish the beneficiary of one of the largest single contributions of the fiscal year, for a religious and social building in the historic center.

Source: Official Gazette of the Community of Madrid, no. 269, of November 9, 2026, section I.D) Announcements, pp. 48-58 (official reference: BOCM-20261109-15).