At a Cave Church in Radozda, Struga Area - Eight Century Old Fresco Painting

      (Dnevnik, 17.10.2003) - A fresco painting with the image of St. John Kalivit dated to the 13th century has been discovered at a cave church, St. Archangel Michail near the village of Radozda, Struga area. Conservators discovered the fresco after they removed an older 14th century fresco painting. The image of the saint is perfectly preserved but the colours are a little shaded because the church was caught in several fires in the past. So far, a fresco painting from the 13th century and around 50 square meters from the 14th century have been discovered in the cave temple.
      The conservation team is first restoring the much damaged church built in a cliff. The project including document compiling, exploring and launching the conservation work is estimated at US$ 50,000, a grant by New York-based World Conservation Fund. The Republic Institute for Protection of Monuments of Culture got the grant from the world fund in competition with 112 institutions. Preparations for delayering the multilayer fresco painting in the cave temple have been carried out for a month by a conservation team of the Republic Institute for Protection of Monuments of Culture. The exploring has already been completed. The conservators will delayer the frescoes by mid November, and the start of the conservation is scheduled afterwards.
      “We delayed a 14th century fresco on the north wall and underneath we discovered the 13-century image of St John Kalivit, which is perfectly preserved. The colours are shaded a little because the church was caught in fire a few times - in 13th, 14th and 15th centuries. Traces of fire are visible on the fresco painting and the surroundings beams, Donka Bardzieva, a counselor-conservator at the Republic Institute for Protection of Monuments of Culture says. According to her, beside the damages from fires, there are saline and plaster layers on the fresco painting, which have caused more damage. The temple which has a roofless dome has bee pounded by entering water for centuries. “We are working slowly and watchfully. Urgent research in the church was made 13 years ago, but this is the first method examination,” Bardzeva says.