American  Express has been sponsoring the WMF’s World Monuments Watch programme for several years. It was launched in 1995 to call attention to and preserve the planet’s historical, artistic and architectural heritage. The total donations made by American Express to this programme amount to 10 million dollars over a period of ten years until 2005. Furthermore, they have directed millions of dollars of additional funding from other entities, foundations, multinationals and private individuals, thus promoting greater awareness about the preservation of cultural heritage.

"From 1996 to the present date, American Express has contributed the sum of 8.5 million dollars towards the restoration of 110 monuments in 59 countries. This programme is of great importance to us because we believe that it is very important to preserve our cultural heritage, as is the case of the Pazo de San Miguel  das  Penas.  These monuments are not only the pride of each country, but they are all examples of the cultural heritage of humanity, driving international tourism and helping us to have a better understanding of our history”, explained Mary Beth Salerno, President of the American Express Foundation.

Ceremony
The ceremony for handing over the donation took place this morning in Madrid and was attended by the Director-General of Fine Arts, Mr. Julián  Martínez; Ms. Mary Beth Salerno; Mr. Jorge Gil, Country Manager of American Express Spain; the Duke of Segorbe, President of the Duke’s Residence at Medinaceli and by the President of the World Monuments Fund in Spain, Mr. Juan Carlos Fierro.

Pazo de San Miguel das Penas

American  Express Spain has been contributing for several years now towards safeguarding various national monuments, such as the "Windmills", in Palma de  Mallorca,  and the "Moorish Houses", in Granada . Now the Pazo de San Miguel das Penas, which was on the WMW list for 2004, has been included by American Express.

The fact of including this medieval manor house, which was built in a military architectural style, on the list of 100 most endangered sites, shall help to heighten the awareness of the authorities in the Galicia region as to its current state, and more importantly still, shall provide financial aid and appeal for new sources of funding for preserving, restoring and rehabilitating this monument so that it may be better enjoyed by the Spanish people.

The Pazo  de San Miguel das Penas is to be found in the County of Ulloa , in the municipality of Monterroso . It was Emilia Pardo Bazán´s inspiration for her famous work "Los Pazos de Ulloa" (The Manor Houses of Ulloa). The manor house grounds include a defensive tower that belonged to the now disappeared medieval fortress, as well as a Romanic church. It is currently dependent on the Department of Culture in the Regional Government of Galicia and receives funding from the Casa Ducal de Medinaceli Foundation.

The American Express donation will be used to restore many of its walls, roofs, floors, paintings (frescos) that have been damaged through vandalism or negligence. It shall also allow to restore its Renaissance murals, which are some of the most important paintings of this kind in Galicia .

"It is a great honour for us to receive this financial donation from the American Express Foundation, which shows the great awareness of American Express about the culture and history of our country. This acknowledgement shall help to generate more attention in Spain regarding the Pazo de San Miguel das Penas and many more monuments that are in need of aid from governments, private enterprise and non-profit institutions in order that they may be preserved or restored,” commented the Duke of Segorbe, Presient of the Casa Ducal de Medinaceli Foundation.

How the monuments are selected
Every other year, the WMF invites governments and non-governmental organisations from all over the world to nominate the sites that are in need of aid for reconstruction or maintenance because of their endangered status, to be included in the List of Most Endangered Sites.   All of these nominations are then analysed by an independent group of international experts (archaeologists, historians and art conservationists) who choose the monuments that are included on the final list.

Since it was launched in 1995, the WMF programme has received 379 donations amounting to a total of 32 million dollars, which have gone to restore 185 monuments in 72 countries. A further 79.6 million dollars have been contributed directly by governments, companies, private individuals and institutions.

World Monuments Fund
In operation since the year 1995, the World Monuments Fund is the world’s foremost private, non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of historic art and architecture worldwide .

American Express
American Express is the largest non-banking company specialising in the sectors of financial services and travel. Founded in 1850, it is the world leader in payment systems, IT services, personal financial planning, asset management, brokerage and international banking. The company, which has been present in our country since 1951, has three operational units: Financial Services, Travel Services and the American Express Bank.