The work on the sculpture aims to ensure its conservation, will take place over the next two months and will involve the removal of ceramic elements and their subsequent resettlement, cleaning, stabilisation and structural reinforcement, among other tasks. 

The sculpture, unveiled in 2005, was created by Fernando Crespo and was inaugurated as part of the celebrations of the 800th anniversary of the Charter of D. Sancho I, the 170th anniversary of the municipality of Vila Nova de Famalicão and the 20th anniversary of its elevation to city status, in homage to the founders of the municipality in 1835, the members of the executive and the presidents of the parish council in office at the time of the celebrations. The sculpture is divided into three distinct areas, each corresponding to a different historical period: before 1835, from 1835 to 2005, and the period after 2005.

But this will not be the only sculpture in the public space to undergo restoration work in the near future. The statue ‘Ao Bombeiro Voluntário’ (To the Volunteer Firefighter), installed in 1.º de Maio Park, will also be restored by the City Council.

In this case, the intervention will involve cleaning and stabilising surfaces, treating the support, replacing damaged stone elements, protecting and restoring the colour of the bronze elements, and replacing the identification letters on the sculpture that are currently missing.

The work was created by Augusto Costa and promoted by the Vila Nova de Famalicão Municipal Council. It was inaugurated on 13 June 1985, as part of the inauguration of the remodelling of Parque 1.º de Maio. The monument is a tribute of gratitude for the role played by volunteer firefighters who, in a spirit of self-sacrifice, give their lives for the community.

Both interventions are the result of a municipal investment of 21,000 euros.