The monastery of San Esteban is preparing to take a digital leap. Soon, visitors will be able to use 3D technology to explore the site with unprecedented depth. The initiative aims to bring heritage closer through virtual tours that show what the place looked like in different eras, including elements that time has erased or damaged.
How modeling works to reconstruct history 🏛️
The system is based on laser scans and photogrammetry of the monastery's current state. With this data, technicians generate three-dimensional models that integrate reconstructions of missing arches, vaults, and frescoes. Visitors, using virtual reality glasses or touch screens, will be able to switch between the current view and that of the 12th or 18th centuries. This is not a simple video: it is an interactive navigation where every corner can be examined in detail.
Goodbye to the guide who told you old tales 🎧
From now on, forget the man with the umbrella who explains the cloister while you look at your phone. 3D technology will do the job, and without getting tired. That said, if virtual reality fails, you can always console yourself by looking at a real stone. After all, the monastery has been waiting for centuries for someone to look at it without filters, even if they are digital.