Wola东正教古迹修复与画作保护项目丨波兰华沙

Orthodox monuments in Wola have regained their lustre. The works were subsidised by the City of Warsaw

Mateusz Markowski

Orthodox monuments in Wola have regained their lustre. Thanks to funding from the City of Warsaw, two important tasks were carried out: the restoration of the 19th century burial chapel with its characteristic five domes in the Orthodox cemetery and the conservation of the paintings by Jerzy Nowosielski in the lower church of St John Klimak.

The restoration work has just come to an end.

The ornate chapel is the tomb of the Istomin family, located in plot no. 31. The structure is one of the largest in the necropolis. It was built in the Byzantine style and is entirely clad in decorative sandstone cladding. The relatively small monument is crowned by a distinctive tower with five small domes.

After the works, the condition of the building has improved significantly. First of all, the heavily soiled stone facings were cleaned. Defects and missing parts of the decoration were also repaired and numerous cracks were eliminated. The work not only restored the aesthetic qualities of the monument, but also improved and stabilised its technical condition. The fence was also repaired. The city’s grant for this conservation renovation amounted to PLN 160,000.

The tomb chapel before and after conservation

The second task was the conservation of the painting decoration by Jerzy Nowosielski located in the lower church. The master made them in 1956 and in 1977-1979, paintings of high artistic value. Their style is reminiscent of Byzantine painting. These works coincided with the Sejm of the Republic of Poland declaring 2023. Year of Jerzy Nowosielski to mark the centenary of the birth of this outstanding painter, draughtsman and stage designer.

Painting decoration by Jerzy Nowosielski before and after conservation

In the course of the work, dirt, dampness and salts as well as remnants of previous conservation work were removed. The chipped limestone substrate was reinforced and glued, and cracks were sewn up. Finally, the painting was retouched.

The conservation of the chapel and the painting by Jerzy Nowosielski was the next stage of the comprehensive renovation work of the cemetery and the conservation of the Orthodox church, carried out with funding from the City of Warsaw since 2018. The city’s grant amounted to a total of PLN 300,000.

Kaplica grobowa przed i po konserwacji

Kaplica grobowa przed i po konserwacji

Dekoracja malarska Jerzego Nowosielskiego przed i po konserwacji

Subject: Orthodox monuments in Wola regained their shine. The works were subsidised by the City of Warsaw