St. Nicholas Cathedral in Kremenets transformed into restoration workshop

St. Nicholas Cathedral in Kremenets. Photo: Suspilne

In Kremenets, Ternopil region, the St. Nicholas Cathedral, seized from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church community in favor of the state, has been transformed into a restoration workshop, reports Suspilne. Ternopil.

Specialists from the Lviv branch of the National Research and Restoration Center of Ukraine have arrived at the cathedral and have begun the conservation of the 18th-century icon "Communion of St. Onuphrius" and the 19th-century icon of the "Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary", which was stored under a metal cover, on the first floor of the church.

"This is not restoration at the moment, but so-called conservation based in a museum. We conserve these objects to prevent further deterioration. Later, if we continue our cooperation, we will take these works to our branch in Lviv for full restoration, which can last several months, a year, or two, depending on the complexity of the work," said Taras Otkovych, head of the Lviv branch of the National Research and Restoration Center of Ukraine.

No services are planned in the church yet, as officials aim to restore the church’s iconostasis, which will also take a considerable amount of time.

"All the works here need restoration, including the iconostasis itself. Probably, since the church's establishment, a restorer's hand has not touched these icons. The iconostasis needs cleaning. If there is time during this trip, the restorers will attempt to clean some of the icons on the iconostasis. They were covered with non-professional preservation materials and have yellowed. Therefore, this synthetic, unknown varnish needs to be removed and replaced with special materials to give them a proper appearance and preservation," commented Vasyl Ilchyshyn, director of the Kremenets-Pochaiv State Historical and Architectural Reserve.

As the UOJ reported, the Department of Culture and Tourism of the Ternopil Regional State Administration announced that they would conduct tours in St. Nicholas Cathedral in Kremenets, stating that "revealing the secrets of this shrine will contribute to the emotional recovery of travelers."

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