23 February, Vitebsk /Diana Kurilo - BELTA/. Approximately Br1 billion will be allocated by the state for the reconstruction and restoration of the Transfiguration Church in Polotsk in 2012, the client of the works – the capital construction department (UKS) of the Polotsk City Executive Committee – informed a BELTA correspondent. The restoration works on the monument of ancient architecture are included in the State Investment Programme for the current year and will be continued by specialists from "Belrestavratsiya" and Russian restorers. The active phase of restoration works will begin in May, however, specialists will arrive at the site in March-April to inspect the previously restored frescoes and agree on the tactics for the new season. Over the past five years, active restoration works on the unique frescoes of the era of Euphrosyne of Polotsk have been carried out in the church. The frescoes in the altar, prothesis, and diaconicon – the most ornate parts of the church – have already been restored to their original appearance; in total, about two-thirds of the pre-Mongol period wall paintings have been restored. This season, a Belarusian team of restorers carried out the detachment of over 50 sq.m of paintings from the early and late 19th century, when the church was renovated. These frescoes have been transferred to canvases and will be exhibited in a museum in the future. However, during the uncovering of ancient layers of painting, cracks were found 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. In addition, 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, the UKS explained. The church reconstruction project is currently undergoing the approval procedure.