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A Look into the Past
"North Oltenia, Monuments Founded by Boyars" Symposium Review by Anca Dina
In Romania conservation is a relatively recent practice and thinking on the actual economic situation contrasting with the rich heritage of the country, conservation activities do not take place as often as they should. That is why a dynamic change of experience between professionals in the field, such as the symposium "North Oltenia, Monuments Founded by Boyars" is an event that calls our attention once again.
Held in Tismana on May 8-11, 2008, the event was organised by the National Union of Restorers of Historic Monuments1 (UNRMI) in collaboration with the companies S.C. Carolin S.R.L. and S.C. Cardum 7 S.R.L., local companies attested for conservation of monuments. The event aimed to the establishment of contacts between restorers and entrepreneurs, namely contractors and employers, to the debate of heritage conservation common problems and to the in situ presentation of several monuments that are in conservation at the moment. Projected as a dynamic change of experience while visiting these monuments, the event was a small but important step to support conservation in a critical period for safeguarding the Romanian heritage. In these conditions, the central theme of the debate turned out to be the nowadays conservation practice in contrast with the situation of the last decades. For those that are not familiar with the situation of heritage conservation in Romania during the last half century, some preliminary remarks should be made. This time period is significant as communism influenced directly the actual mentality and the individual respect for the inherited values. At a first stage the instauration of the communist regime in 1947 did not affect the field of heritage conservation, probably because this activity did not interact directly with the party’s ideology and goals. According to art historians2 in this period we can even speak about a certain care for heritage valorisation. New constructions occupied mainly barren spaces from the outskirts of the city and when a new artery was built the monuments were included in the new city structure3.
The 1977 earthquake started, however, a new period for the communist regime in which the achievements of the new system were based on the depredation of the historic heritage. Ancient monuments that went through centuries unharmed did not survive to the party ideology2. The earthquake was nothing more than an awaited excuse for a new town planning and a false argument for the demolition of the old constructions. In Bucharest, for example, 20 churches4 and countless civil constructions were demolished, even if architects and engineers assured their stability. Less often, monuments were relocated while their sites were destroyed, damaged and hidden from sight behind new buildings. Due to this policy of gradual dereliction, victims of the "golden era" - as it was called by Ceausescu – were standpoint constructions and valuable works of art. Moreover, in the same year, the only institution to protect the Romanian heritage, the Historic Monuments Direction, was out of service. From this moment on, specialists who were engaged in the protection of monuments were dispersed and transferred to other institutions.
In this situation, great efforts were made, for example, to save the valuable exterior frescoes from the church of Voronet Monastery in the moment when they were close to collapse. The 1989 revolution was of great joy for the militants in the field. Hope reborn and with it, the wish to take part in the protection of the heritage that survived. Still, the situation we are facing today is not much different from before. Nowadays the indifference is the main danger to deface the historic heritage. After communism had destroyed the sense of value, now we are confronted with the wish of enrichment at no matter what price. Personal interest overruns the aesthetic and historic respect. Valuable monuments are rapidly degrading due to owners’ lack of capital while others are left in purpose without roof or windows in order to accelerate their degradation so that the space can be used for new constructions. Although today those who act for the benefit of cultural heritage and for the preservation of national identity have the freedom of expression, words are not sufficiently heard by the directly responsible authorities. State financial support is, most of the times, insufficient to cover the great diversity of problems faced by numerous monuments, some of which are part of the UNESCO heritage list. In this context, there is much to be said about the UNRMI initiative. Since its establishment in 1991, numerous meetings, exhibitions and round tables have been organised. Prices with symbolic value are annually awarded for recognition of professional works. Nevertheless, all these activities remain acknowledged only by the small number of people that are directly involved, as media lack of interest put this field apart from the public. The symposium "North Oltenia – Monuments Founded by Boyars" took place in the historical environment of Tismana Monastery. The first part of the event was dedicated to oral presentations of conservation projects, where different encountered and resolved situations were shown. After the opening made by UNMRI’s chairman Arch. C. Hoinarescu, followed presentations of the invited speakers H.P. Sparondio and Dr. Neumann, representatives of the German building protection company Remmers, who presented some examples of buildings5 affected by humidity and spoke about their approach and solutions to these damages. From Russia, Anya Dujina from the Vlasov Atelier (Moscow) spoke about the restoration of the ensemble belonging to Rursmimki manor. The intervention aimed to the recovery of the original elements and the reconstruction of the missing parts with new materials, based on archive images or on symmetric elements found in the ruins. The restoration, still undergoing for some of the components, is a contribute to the preservation and continuation of the local identity for the future. The oral presentations were followed by in situ presentations of conservation enterprises from the region of Oltenia (western Wallachia). As the symposium was held at Tismana Monastery, this was the first monument to be visited. Dating from the beginning of the 16th century6, the church is decorated with valuable frescoes from different time periods: 16th century - narthex, 18th century - nave and altar and 20th century - porch. The second paint layer in the narthex, from the 18th century, was detached in the 20th century and today these fragments can be seen in the monastery museum. The interior painting is in advanced state of degradation thus its conservation is on the list of priorities. The surface is covered by a thick layer of dirt which makes impossible the reading of the iconographic program and alters the original chromatic quality of the paintings.
Here, all types of degradations specific for a centuries-old monument can be found, mainly due to humidity action and earlier unauthorised interventions. Traces of a previous intervention, most probably contemporary with the frescoes detachment, are still visible in the narthex: fillings of lacunas and remains of chromatic integration. The roof of the church and the rain water facilities were replaced but the facades, originally decorated by alternated brick and stone rows, were also plastered.
This intervention, carried out in order to protect the brittle elements, ended up by changing the original image of the church. A thorough research of the paintings will take place once the conservation intervention will start, that is as soon as possible. Image 1. The church of Tismana Monastery, south-east elevation; Image 2. The chapel of Tismana Monastery, the only architectonic component that preserves the original aspect of the facades; Image 3 and 4. Interior mural painting of the church of Tismana Monastery. Narthex - 16th century and naos - 18th century; Image 5. Interior mural painting of the church of Tismana Monastery, executed by Grigore Popescu in the 20th century.
Image 6. The church of Hurez Monastery (17th century), general ensamble; Image 7. Interior mural painting from Hurez; Image 8. The church from Vioresti (lower), exterior view; Image 9. Image from the cemetery of Ceplea church. The crosses fixed on the tree trunk are related to those that deceased without a lighted candle, according to the Christian tradition; Image 10. The church from Stolojani, naos after the reconstruction of the ensamble.
Following the string of first rank religious monuments in the area, we stopped at the churches from Polovragi and Strâmba monasteries8 and at the church of Vioresti9, where conservation works of the mural paintings are currently undergoing. This last is a small monument erected by Ion Ursanu in the end of the 18th century, dedicated to the "Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary". The a fresco mural painting, executed in 1801, differs from other monuments by its "popular character with narrative strength"10. The founders are depicted in the interior votive painting but also in the remarkable exterior frieze surrounding the south, east and north facades, wearing traditional costumes. The scene is alternated by characters on horses and rosettes with decorative elements. The conservation of the church proved to be a complex process. At the time of the intervention, the church was in an advanced state of degradation induced mainly by previous alterations that had affected the masonry structure, such as the cutting out of the separation wall between the nave and the narthex and the enlargement of the windows. In the year 1895, the superior part of the nave was amended, the dome was opened and a wood steeple was added. The extensive conservation process began with the consolidation of the masonry structure, the resizing and reshaping of the windows to their original forms, the removal of the steeple, the modification of the dome and the restoration of the interior and exterior mural painting.
Restoration seen as recovery of ruin constructions has been exemplified by the works at several sites: "St. Nicholas"11 church from Ceplea village (Gorj), Cornel Brailoiu12 house (Tirgu Jiu) and "St. John the Baptist"13 church from the Stolojani village (Gorj). The latter has been recast from recovered and new wood. During the works, the old foundation of a church was discovered and preserved under the current wooden church. On these walls traces of ancient mural paintings were found.
The recovered items are now displayed by 8 glass panels built in the floor of the new wooden church.
Among the monuments in the program, the famous "Cule" from Maldaresti were also visited. These fortified boyar houses from Oltenia are traditionally provided with high basements and belfries. Cula Greceanu, from the 18th century, is a three-floor monument erected on an L-shaped plan, with balcony at the first floor and a two sides open turret at the top. Cula Duca, dated 1823, has a simple plan and a long rectangular turret at the upper floor. Currently, these two monuments are housing medieval and popular pieces of art, having museum status. Exterior images and interior details of the "Cule" from Maldaresti: Cula Greceanu (18th century) and Cula Duca (19th century), both monuments with museum status today. At the end of the discussions, an optimistic attitude of UNMRI’s chairman, Mr. Hoinarescu, could be seen. Related to the quality of the restoration works, Mr. Hoinarescu spoke about the "regeneration of a conservation school that managed to come together again after almost 50 years", "a crystallised school that has a unitary approach to conservation issues”, evolving over the generation of the ‘70s because in relation to the monuments, imaginative interventions or additions stopped to appear.
Notes:
1. The association was established in 1991 and is formed by 78 enterprises involved in the conservation of monuments and approximatively 200 individuals attested for practice in this domain.
2. Sanda Ignat, Arhitectul Stefan Bals despre restaurarea monumentelor istorice (interview), BCMI 1991, no. 4 3. Constantin C. Giurescu, Istoria Bucurestilor, 2nd edition, Ed. Sport Turism, Bucharest (1975) 4. Arch. L. Anania, Arch. C. Luminea, Arch. L. Melinte, Arch. A. N. Prosan, Arch. L. Stoica, Arch. N. Ionescu-Ghinea, Biserici osândite de Ceausescu, Ed. Anastasia, Bucharest (1995) 5. Buildings such as Lahusen Vila or Droistei in Pinneberg. 6. The monastery was reconstructed by the prince Radu the Great on the place where this was erected in the 14th century by the monk Nicodim. 7. The coordinator of conservation-restoration intervention for the mural painting is the restorer Teodora Spataru Ianculescu. 8. At the church of Strâmba Monastery, the project for consolidation works is developed by S.C. CARDUM 7 S.R.L. The coordinator of the conservation project in this church and at Polovragi Monastery church is Serban Angelescu, conservator-restorer. 9. Conservation works carried out by: designer – S.C. ABRALARTPRODUCT S.R.L. (Bucharest); general contractor - S.C. Diaconu Construction S.R.L.; infrastructure contractor – S.C. Carolin S.R.L. (Quebec); coordinator of the mural painting restoration project - Elena Murariu, conservator-restorer. 10. Vasile Dragut, Dictionar enciclopedic de arta medievala romaenasca, Ed. Stiintifica si Enciclopedica, Bucharest, 1976, pp. 315 11. Consolidation project by S.C. CARDUM 7 S.R.L. – Târgu Jiu, constructor S.C. CAROLIN S.R.L. – Valcea. 12. Consolidation project by S.C. CARDUM 7 S.R.L. – Târgu Jiu, contractor: S.C. Sima Construct S.R.L. – Ramnicu Sarat. 13. Contractor: S.C. Rustic – Baia Mare.
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