The stonemason who is reviving the craft at Malaga Cathedral

The work to provide Malaga Cathedral with a roof to put an end to the problem of leaks not only includes the construction of the roof itself, but also a feature that was designed in the 18th century plans but was never executed. It is not the south tower, but the drawings that Antonio Ramos made 1784 depicted a balustrade that would surround the perimeter of the entire cornice of the building, punctuated by pedestals on which the images of saints would be placed.

When work on the cathedral stopped due to a lack of economic resources on 5 July 1782, only the pedestals of the façade and the side naves, up to the transept, were left in place. However, now that stonemasonry work has been taken up again, two and a half centuries later, to install a balustrade of which a first section has already been placed next to the north tower but which, in the coming weeks, will be extended along the entire edge of the façades.

Some pedestals have already been placed in the cathedral, thanks to the painstaking work by the architects of the roof project, Juan Manuel Sánchez La Chica and Adolfo de la Torre Prieto. Although they may look the same, behind each pedestal there is a detailed task of measurements and digitalisation, so that they have the exact measurements and orientation.

Each pedestal is different and behind their execution is not only the machinery of the Alicante-based company Bateig, specialised in natural stone pieces since 1878, but also the craftsmanship of one of the few remaining stonemasons in Spain, Francisco Aguilera Casado. This craftsman from the town of Porcuna in Jaén, using a hammer and chisel, has made each of the shells that crown the pedestals from sandstone extracted from a quarry in Novelda (Alicante).

"Each shell has taken about three weeks of work," explains Aguilera. "That's why I'm here, to take up the baton left by those stonemasons at that time", says the craftsman, who points out that Malaga Cathedral is "under construction".

"To be able to contribute to the completion of a cathedral in the 21st century, not only for me, but for all the people who are here, is a real luxury and a pleasure at the same time," adds Aguilera, who has been working for more than forty years in a trade that he inherited from his father, with whom he started working when he was 14 years old. "I am the fifth generation, since 1837," he explains, adding that his son is following in his footsteps.

"My father always said that we craftsmen work with our heads, our hands and our hearts. For me, Malaga Cathedral is a real marvel, one of the best in Spain," says the stonemason, who designs and makes his own metal tools to shape the stone. He has not only been in charge of turning blocks of stone into shells, but also reworks the pedestals, the balusters, the pinnacles and makes the stonework to replace sections that have deteriorated over time.

Although there are machines that could replace his work, construction companies Hermanos Campano and Grupo ORP wanted a stonemason to carry out the most unique details of the pedestals that can already be seen at street level. Aguilera's experience in other similar buildings such as the cathedrals of Jaén, Córdoba and Granada make him the most suitable person to carry the work to Malaga's cathedral.

With the same mastery with which he plays the guitar, of which he is a great aficionado, Francisco Aguilera strikes the hammer with almost millimetric precision to extract the most complex shapes from the stone.

Starting from a drawing, Francisco begins to strike each block of stone by hand until he manages to bring out the shape of each veneration. "That's what really makes it different, that's what I'm passionate about," concludes this craftsman. Although the work on the roof will not be finished until the end of 2027, the balustrade will be ready in early 2026.