1934-2021

The Cáceres-born architect Dionisio Hernández Gil, one of the leading advocates of heritage protection in Spain, died on 21 December. Born in 1934 to a family of lawyers, Hernández Gil broke the tradition by enrolling at the Madrid School of Architecture, and upon graduating he earned a scholarship for the Academy of Spain in Rome. At his return he refurbished the convent of San Benito in Alcántara, an experience that made him aware of the challenges of the profession, especially when it demands establishing a subtle dialogue with history. This acknowledgment of the past led him to devote his career to the preservation of monuments, working at the service of the institutions, first as inspector of Fine Arts and later as General Director of Fine Arts and as the first Director of the Institute of Restoration and Preservation of Cultural Heritage. From these posts, Hernández Gil managed to train a whole generation of specialists, promoting projects like the Roman Museum of Mérida and tackling interventions like the restoration of the Cathedral of Coria or the recovery of the lead roofs of Juan de Villanueva at the Prado Museum.