Restoration of Polotsk's St. Sophia Cathedral to begin this summer. Its appearance may change
The oldest stone monument in Belarus is preparing for a large-scale restoration, which may restore its historical appearance and offers a chance to more widely reveal the 11th-century walls, which have survived in much greater volumes than previously thought.
The National Polotsk Historical and Cultural Museum-Reserve, which owns St. Sophia Cathedral, posted an application for the development of pre-project documentation on the public procurement website, as noted by the Telegram channel "Spadchyna" (Heritage).
According to the state program "Cultural Space" for 2026-2030, 2.4 million rubles have been allocated for repair and restoration work in St. Sophia Cathedral, which is an object of the highest 0-category of value and theoretically qualifies for inclusion in the UNESCO list.
Four months are allotted for the pre-project stage, from June to September 2026. During this time, designers must conduct comprehensive scientific research, including archival, architectural-archaeological, and physico-chemical studies of building materials.
Based on these, an architectural and planning concept will be created, which includes solutions for facade restoration, strengthening historical structures, creating new lighting for the surrounding area, and modernizing engineering networks. The latter point is especially important given the specific climate required to hold concerts and exhibitions in the cathedral.
Given that the work includes physico-chemical studies of the facades, it cannot be ruled out that the historical Baroque color scheme may be restored to St. Sophia Cathedral during the restoration, as has already been done for the Corpus Christi Church in Nesvizh and the former Church of St. Joseph in Minsk.
As is known today, Baroque churches in Belarus were not monochrome and snow-white – they acquired such an appearance in later centuries for reasons of economic convenience of caring for the churches in historical conditions that were not always favorable for them.
Another historical possibility could be a wider exposure of the ancient hidden-row masonry, which has been preserved under layers of later plaster. Today, on the eastern facade, where the original apses of the Old Rus' church have been preserved, the masonry is shown only in small probes, which does not give an accurate idea of the scale of the preserved 11th-century walls within the volume of the Baroque church.
Polotsk Sophia represents a complex architectural symbiosis. For a long time, it was believed that the original 11th-century church was completely destroyed by an explosion in 1710, when a gunpowder depot of the Russian army exploded in the church's cellars.
But recent historical discussions cast doubt on the scale of the destruction: it seems that the Old Rus' walls survived in a much greater volume than traditionally believed, and the new Baroque church was erected in the 18th century according to the design of the famous architect Jan Hlauwbitz, not on the site of the former, but was incorporated into its earlier volume, maximally preserving the authentic walls.
The first large-scale restoration of the monument began in 1969. At that time, specialists from the scientific and restoration workshops of the BSSR faced the conceptual task of simultaneously showcasing two different eras. Under the guidance of architect Valery Sliunchanka, a special observation deck was created beneath the 18th-century cathedral floor, from which the remains of 11th-century supporting pillars and walls can still be seen. In 1983, a concert hall with 304 seats was opened in the building, and two years later, a Czech "Rieger Kloss" organ was installed.
On-site studies of the church, conducted during that restoration, showed that the 11th-century masonry on the eastern facade survived to the full height of the exterior walls up to the cornices, and in the area of the tower — even higher.
Uncovering the 11th-century walls would allow showcasing a rare example of Old Rus' architecture in Belarusian lands. Large probes on the historical apses were once also made in Kyiv's Sophia Cathedral, which today also has a Baroque appearance.
However, exposing ancient masonry also has a downside — open to atmospheric influences, it deteriorates. Russian specialists, who were involved in the restoration of another unique monument of the Old Rus' period in the city, the Savior Church in the Euphrosyne Monastery, noted that the probes on St. Sophia Cathedral are in terrible condition. On the Savior Church itself, during the last restoration, large exposures on the facades, where polychrome paintings and architectural decor were discovered, were covered with glass screens.
The last large-scale work on the facades of St. Sophia was carried out in 2017, on the eve of the 500th anniversary of Belarusian book printing. At that time, builders renovated almost 6500 square meters of external walls, reaching the upper tiers of the towers at a height of 51 meters using special aerial lifts.
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