They Whitewashed Everything They Could Reach. The Church in Zhuprany, Where Bahushevich is Buried, Underwent a "Euro-Renovation"
The interior of the Neo-Gothic Church of Saints Peter and Paul in Zhuprany, Ashmyany district, has undergone a renovation bordering on vandalism. Meanwhile, local authorities boast that the temple shines after the update.
Recently, the Facebook page "Ashmyanshchyna Tourist", run by the state tourist information center, joyfully published a video from inside the Neo-Gothic Church of Saints Peter and Paul in Zhuprany. It is near the walls of this sanctuary, built between 1853 and 1875, that the classic of Belarusian literature Francišak Bahushevich rests. The authors of the post admire how the "updated interior shines" after the renovation work, which supposedly returned the temple to its true splendor.
However, what local tourism officials call splendor, experts consider irreparable barbarism. The Telegram channel "Spadchyna" drew attention to the damage suffered by the architectural monument during this update.
Concrete Podium
One of the main complaints concerns the altar part of the temple (presbytery). In pre-war photographs from the 1930s, an authentic wooden flooring with steps was clearly visible there, separated from the rest of the church space by a wooden balustrade with figured balusters. During the current renovation, the flooring was removed, and a new podium was cast from expanded clay concrete in its place, which, as the channel's author notes, does not repeat the contours of the old one. The historical balustrade also did not return to its place.
At the same time, some icons from the side altars have disappeared without a trace from the interior of the sanctuary. The historical station icons in characteristic frames with crosses, which formed an integral part of the interior decoration and are also clearly visible in photographs from the last century, have also gone missing.
Loss of Protected Frescoes
The wall decoration was also treated very strangely. The Zhuprany church is listed in the State Register of Historical and Cultural Values of Belarus under the formulation: "Church of Saints Peter and Paul. Ornamental interior frescoes." This means that the interior paintings are a full-fledged element of the architectural monument, on par with its facades, and are protected by law.
In the 1930s, the architectural decoration of the altar was painted to resemble marble. Later, during Soviet times, it was covered with oil paint. According to restoration methodology, modern work should have included scientific cleaning and uncovering of these original layers.
“Now, instead of scientific cleaning and restoration, both the altar, all the walls, and all the vaults were simply painted white. They even painted the organ in the choir loft white,” writes the channel's author.
As a result of this approach, not a single fragment of historical frescoes can be seen in the interior of the sanctuary today.
Activists see direct signs of violation of monument protection legislation in the work carried out and have already sent official complaints to the Ministry of Culture and the regional prosecutor's office, demanding that the owner be obliged to restore the destroyed elements to their original appearance at their own expense.
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