October 19, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA/. The structural integrity and strength of the 12th-century Transfiguration Church will be examined by specialists from "Belrestavratsiya," as reported to BELTA by the capital construction department (UKS) of the Polotsk City Executive Committee, which is the client for pre-project and survey work. Over the past five years, extensive restoration of unique frescoes from the era of Euphrosyne of Polotsk has been carried out in the church. During the uncovering of ancient layers of painting, cracks were discovered on the walls, necessitating the restoration of the plinth and the raising of the floor, which was installed in a later period, in order to restore the lower part of the 12th-century wall paintings. Additionally, a new dome was recently installed in the church, so it is necessary to investigate whether the integrity of the load-bearing structures has changed as a result, the UKS explained. Br500 million has been allocated this year for pre-project and survey work. Currently, the restoration season at the Transfiguration Church is nearing its end, as reported to BELTA by the head of restoration work, Yuri Malinovskiy. As a rule, work in such churches is carried out at positive outdoor temperatures, so the teams of Belarusian and Russian specialists are preparing to leave the site until next spring. However, before that, they intend to examine the wall paintings in the dome. Despite restoration work being carried out here 20 years ago, some darkening of the frescoes is visible to the naked eye. Their nature is to be determined before the end of the season. The frescoes in the altar, prothesis, and diaconicon – the most ornate parts of the church – have already been restored to their original appearance, and approximately two-thirds of the pre-Mongol period wall paintings have been restored overall. This season, the Belarusian restoration team has detached over 50 sq.m of paintings from the early and late 19th century, when the church was renovated. These frescoes have been transferred to canvas and will be exhibited in a museum in the future. Br1.5 billion from the republican and regional budgets has been allocated this year for restoration work at the Transfiguration Church. The recreation of the unique paintings is included in the "Culture of Belarus" program for 2011-2015. Based on the Resolution of the Council of Ministers, Br1 billion will be allocated annually from the republican and regional budgets from 2011 onwards to complete the restoration of the frescoThe restoration project for the Church of the Transfiguration includes the restoration of preserved and the conservation of already uncovered 12th-century frescoes, as well as the reconstruction of 19th-century oil paintings for separate exhibition. The Church of the Transfiguration of the Spaso-Yefrosinievsky Monastery is rightfully considered a gem of East Slavic architecture. According to legend, the church was built with the blessing of Euphrosyne of Polotsk, the abbess of the Polotsk Monastery, and experts believe that the design of the frescoes also belongs to her. The uniqueness of the Polotsk frescoes also lies in the fact that such a large volume of ancient East Slavic painting has survived to this day in only two monuments – the Church of the Mirozhsky Monastery in Pskov and the Church of the Transfiguration of the Spaso-Yefrosinievsky Monastery in Polotsk.-0-

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