La reutilización hotelera del patrimonio monástico gallego

The recovery of monuments by means of the allocation of new distinct uses to the original ones is an increasingly frequent practice in the management of architectural heritage. And the number of hotel establishments located in buildings of great historical and/or artistic value is ever growing. The origin of this activity goes back to the beginning of the 20th century with the birth of a consciousness about the importance heritage possessed for the flourishing tourist industry. The creation of a varied state network of accommodations originated a new kind of hotel that it would be installed in run-down buildings which, once restored would regain their utility, achieving to harmonise the protection of the Spanish monumental heritage with the impulse of tourism. This practice quickly spread throughout the whole country, and also throughout Galicia. This research is completing an important part of the study about the impact of tourism and the cultural management in the conservation of the historical-artistic heritage in Galicia: through the analysis of five religious monuments rehabilitated as hotels we’ll see how the abandonment of the real estate supposes the start of its unavoidable ruin, showing that the option of a new use presents itself as the best guarantee for its survival, understanding this act from the perspective of the capacity of the monument to be alive and to participate in the society of the moment.