The Direção-Geral do Património Cultural , formerly the Instituto de Gestão do Património Arquitectónico e Arqueológico and ''Instituto Português do Património Arquitetónico, is a general directorate of the Government of Portugal tasked with the conservation, preservation, and inventory of Portuguesearchitectural heritage. This includes buildings and sites of historical, architectural, scientific or artistic value. The institute keeps a registry of all the classified sites and issues legally binding opinions regarding any works on them.
History
It was established after the initiatives of PRACE and implemented by the Council of Ministers, as decree 96/2007. IGESPAR resulted from a fusion of the Instituto Português do Património Arquitetónico and the Instituto Português de Arqueologia , while integrating many of the functions of the Direcção Geral dos Edifícios e Monumentos Nacionais which had been active in the conservation and rehabilitation of the country's architectural treasures. Ministerial Order no.376 established its internal structure and statutes, while the Ministry of Culture's organic law established regional directorates. Archival material, that until then were held by the DGMEN, were transferred to Instituto de Habitação e Reabilitação Urbana of the Ministério do Ambiente, the department of Ordenamento do Território e do Desenvolvimento Regional, under the auspices of the SIPA - Sistema de Informação para o Património on 30 May 2007. IGESPAR inherited the institutions and preceded the Biblioteca Geral and Biblioteca de Arqueologia , 800 to status of Monumento Nacional and 450 classified as municipal sites of public interest. In 2012, following the promulgation of a decree, the Direção–Geral do Patrimônio Cultural was instituted, through the fusing of the IGESPAR, the Instituto dos Museus e Conservação and Direção Regional de Cultura de Lisboa o Vale do Tejo .
Structure
DGPC is a Directorate-General, under the auspices of the Ministério da Cultura, with responsibilities for the architectural and archaeological heritage. Its internal structure is laid out in Ministerial Order no.376, dating to 20 March 2007, whereupon the organization is divided into five individual services:
Salvaguarda, which is responsible for coordinating and initiating studies on candidates for listing as national patrimony, the promotion of plans for safeguarding buildings, restrict or invalidate construction projects that infringe on national patrimony, and monitor, as well as implement projects to conserve national patrimony;
Inventário, Estudos e Divulgação, the department responsible for the physical analysis of the conditions, state and study of the national monuments or architecture of national interest, and provide technical assistance for listed patrimony;
Projectos e Obras, follows the conservation process of existing buildings and structures on site, providing solutions for existing degradation and promoting preventative solutions for existing sites;
Jurídico provides legal decisions and supports IGESPAR's legal intervention on behalf of existing or ongoing investigations; and
Gestão, responsible for managing the ongoing structure of the organization and sustaining operations.
Proposed the classification and inventoried the archaeological or architectural possessions of national or public interest, that obligated the establishment of special protection zones;
Develop plans, programs and projects to execute restorations and interventions into classified properties or those in the process of classification, situated in their respective zones of protection;
Secure the management and appreciation of archaeological or architectural heritage;
