Legitimacy of monumental reconstruction. Question of epochs

[EN] Theoretical protection – that derived from the conservationist theories that have nourished, to a large extent, the international recommendations, and conventions on the protection of the historical and cultural heritage – as well as the legal protection of a monument, are as necessary as they are futile if they are not seconded by action. This action, inexorably, is aimed at some of the interventions that, for decades, converged in the concept of "restoration".   Therefore, the object of the proposed work lies in the verification that there is no protection without knowledge or recognition of monumental values, which do not imply a material intervention, and that these are circumscribed both to the current regulations and to the current theoretical criteria.   To this end and given that the Aljafería Palace in Zaragoza is one of the most intervened monuments by the Ministry of Culture between 1954 and 1983, it is proposed to make an extract of the interventions carried out on the complex, after centuries of mutilations, variations, and reconstructions. All for the benefit of the recovery of diminished artistic and historical, architectural, and cultural values.   Likewise, an attempt will be made to demonstrate, through the analysis of the interventions carried out in the monument, how both cultural and legal aspects have been necessary "accomplices" of the application of conservationist theories. Therefore, it is intended to show how some historical interventions can only be understood through knowledge of the historical context of the time in which they were carried out.