In Lviv, the restoration of more than 100-year-old stained-glass windows, made in the workshop of Stanislav-Gabriel Zhelenskyi, has begun.
These 4 stained-glass windows were dismantled from the stairwell of a building of local importance located on the street. Kn. Roman, 34, even in the first days of the war, was transferred to a storage facility. The glass structures are in poor condition, each of them has missing fragments. Therefore, it is impossible to return them in their original form to the stairwell.
The city council’s Department for the Protection of the Historic Environment began looking for international donors to finance the restoration. And found support from the ALIPH Foundation. After restoring and supplementing the lost elements, the stained glass windows will be returned to their place.
“Since the beginning of the war, we have started protecting stained glass windows at various facilities. They approached each one individually: somewhere they closed with protective structures to protect against possible shelling or a shock wave. And we had to dismantle some and move them to a safe place. And these stained glass windows from Knyazya Roman Street were in storage until recently. They need the most intervention because they are in bad condition. Currently, we are carrying out restoration work only with the funds of sponsors or international donors. And we are very grateful to the ALIPH Foundation, which paid attention to Lviv and is helping us,” said Liliya Onyshchenko, head of the historical environment protection department of the LMR.
As the official emphasized, in each of the stained-glass windows part of the lower fragments is lost, they need to be finished. And there were two options: to replace the lost one with white glass, or to add an abstract drawing. Currently, they are leaning towards the second option.
“It is not known what was depicted there. We consulted, and we will still ask the experts – what to do: whether to fantasize, or just give white glass, because there is such a method when it is not known what was depicted there. Unfortunately, we do not have access to the archives of the Zhelensky factory. But we still think that the stained-glass window should be supplemented for an aesthetic look. I think that the craftswoman will cope with the task, and the stained glass window will once again become the decoration of the house. By the way, there are very active residents. They helped us with the dismantling of stained-glass windows and are very concerned about them,” Liliya Onishchenko said.
Restorer Maria Shumska-Barvinok performs stained glass restoration work. She noted that the duration of work does not depend on the size, but on the condition or features of the stained glass. “If it is not very damaged, it can be done in a few days. And there are complex cracks, I can do one for 2-3 days. That’s not to mention fortifying, cleaning and everything else. It is very individual and very different,” said the craftswoman.
Restoration work should be completed by the end of this year. But, as the restorer assured, the stained-glass windows will be returned to the house before the beginning of December.
We will remind you that with the financial assistance of the ALIPH Foundation in Lviv, the stained glass window from the Church of St. John the Chrysostom has already been restored. Soon it is planned to be returned to the facade of the temple and covered with special protective glass.