The American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE) awarded an Antiquities Endowment Fund grant for the project “Under the wings of an Archangel: Conservation work of wall paintings in the Church of the Archangel Gabriel in Naqlun”.
The ARCE Antiquities Endowment Fund (AEF) Grants Program will fund the project for one year. The principal investigator is Dr. Robert Mahler, the head of the PCMA expedition at Naqlun, and the conservation activities will be supervised by Prof. Tytus Sawicki (Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw) and Magdalena Skarżyńska (PCMA UW).
The Church of the Archangel Gabriel is located in Naqlun in the Fayum Oasis (Egypt) and is a part of a monastic foundation built around the 5th to 6th centuries. Archaeological research at the site began in 1986, on the initiative of Prof. Włodzimierz Godlewski. In 1990, during renovation work inside the three-nave basilica, paintings dating to the 8th and 11th centuries were discovered. The polychromes, which were hidden under layers of secondary plaster, are located on the north and south walls, in the narthex and in the sanctuary. In addition to their undoubted aesthetic value, they are a unique testimony to monastic activity at the site.
The primary goal of the project is to conserve the paintings in the narthex of the church and to carry out preventive conservation on those sections of the paintings in the naos and sanctuary that require immediate attention. Comprehensive documentation of the wall paintings will be created, including photographs, descriptions, drawings, orthophotographs, and a damage map. Conservators will assess the condition of the paintings and identify the causes of damage to develop a detailed plan for conservation interventions and preventive care.
In addition to the conservation efforts, the grant will support the development and implementation of community engagement programs, including meetings on conservation and archaeological topics. Their audiences will include monks, students of nearby schools, students of the University of Fayoum, and employees of the Egyptian Antiquities Service.
Read more about PCMA UW research in Naqlun
ARCE is a non-profit organization that supports research on Egyptian history and culture, and the popularization of knowledge about Egypt (link)
-
Badania polegające na wykonaniu zdjęć makroskopowych (Fot. D. Szymański/ CAŚ UW) -
Malowidło ukazujące św. Piczosza na koniu. Obiekt po wstępnych zabiegach konserwatorskich (Fot. D. Szymański/ CAŚ UW) -
Malowidło ukazujące Matkę Boską z Dzieciątkiem flankowanych przez dwa archanio-ły. Obiekt po wstępnych zabiegach konserwatorskich (Fot. D. Szymański/ CAŚ UW)
