La Rioja allocates 775,000 euros to restore diocesan historical-artistic heritage

The Government of La Rioja will provide 775,000 euros to the Diocese of Calahorra and La Calzada-Logroño to finance the restoration of Riojan historical-artistic heritage during 2026 and 2027. The agreement, signed on September 1, 2026, is published in the Official Gazette of La Rioja (Boletín Oficial de La Rioja) no. 201, corresponding to Monday, October 19, 2026, with the official reference BOR-A-20261019-III–3953.

The publication is ordered by Resolution 1514/2026, of September 30, from the Technical General Secretariat of the Ministry of Finance, Public Governance, Digital Society and Government Spokesperson, issued under article 10 of Decree 13/2017, of April 12, which regulates the Electronic Registry of Agreements of the Autonomous Community of La Rioja. The agreement is registered under number 2026/0664 and its full text is available in the agreements search engine of the regional Executive’s transparency portal.

What the agreement finances

The agreement establishes the regulatory bases for the grant awarded to the Diocese of Calahorra and La Calzada-Logroño to cover capital expenditures derived from actions aimed at the conservation and enhancement of the Historical-Artistic Heritage in La Rioja. The execution is specified in the restoration projects included in Annex I of the agreement, which the gazette does not reproduce: the announcement refers to the full text deposited in the registry of agreements.

The contribution is borne entirely by the Government of La Rioja, the sole administration with financial obligations in the agreement, for an amount of 775,000 euros. The Diocese acts as the beneficiary entity and is responsible for the material execution of the works.

Signatories and period of validity

The agreement is signed by:

• José Luis Pérez Pastor, Minister of Culture, Tourism, Sport and Youth, representing the Government of La Rioja.
• Valeriano Antoñanzas Martínez, manager of the Diocese of Calahorra and La Calzada-Logroño.

The period of validity extends from January 1, 2026, to December 31, 2027, that is, two full budget years. In this regard, the published text invokes article 13.7 of Law 4/2005, of June 1, on the Operation and Legal Regime of the Administration of the Autonomous Community of La Rioja, and specifies that this validity does not alter the deadlines necessary for the material fulfillment of the assumed obligations.

The official summary appears signed in Logroño on September 30, 2026, by Begoña Sáinz Martínez, Head of the Government Secretariat and Parliamentary Relations Service of the aforementioned ministry, by delegation established in Resolution 894/2023, of July 20, of the Technical General Secretariat.

The largest allocation of the grant line

The agreement with the Diocese is the largest among those published that same day within the line of grants for the conservation of historical-artistic heritage. The same issue of the bulletin includes:

• San Vicente de la Sonsierra City Council, 50,000 euros for Phase IV of the restoration of the walled enclosure, with emergency actions due to the partial collapse of the curtain wall (registry 2026/0654, Resolution 1498/2026, of September 25, page 17544).
• Lardero City Council, 60,000 euros for the master plan and interventions in the wine cellar district (registry 2026/0691).

Weeks earlier, other agreements of the same nature had been published: Phase III of the Collegiate Church of San Miguel Arcángel de Alfaro, with 50,000 euros (registry 2026/0623), and Phase IV of the cloister roofs of the Imperial Church of Santa María de Palacio in Logroño, with 150,000 euros (registry 2026/0622).

Why it matters

The allocation of 775,000 euros makes the Diocese of Calahorra and La Calzada-Logroño the primary recipient of this line of subsidies and guarantees multi-year funding until the end of 2027, allowing for the planning of works that, in heritage buildings, usually exceed a calendar year. For Riojan municipalities with ecclesiastical assets—churches, collegiate churches, cloisters, and historical enclosures—the agreement represents the ordinary route for accessing regional conservation funds, and its publication in the official bulletin opens the period for public knowledge of the agreement and its annexes.

Source: Official Bulletin of La Rioja, no. 201, October 19, 2026, section III (Other provisions and acts), page 17547 (official reference: BOR-A-20261019-III–3953).