Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Uszyce
RENOVATION OF THE CEILING OF THE NAVE AND THE VAULT OF CHANCERY IN THE CHURCH OF THE ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY IN USZYCE
The ceiling of the nave of the church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Uszyce was made with wood truss added to the ceiling planks and milled slats inside each panel. Rosettes with a cross motif and angels’ heads had been painted alternately in the coffers. The colours are yellow-ochre against a white background with a touch of cold grey.
Barrel vault of the chancery built with planks is also covered with paintings in colours similar to the colours of the nave, enriched with pink and blue elements. The vault was divided into quarters with painted buttresses with vine ornaments. There is an inscription IHS in the glory wreath with flowers in the central part.
The general condition of the ceiling and the vault were bad. Wood was weakened by xylophages, signs of woodboring beetle foraging were noticed. In some places, wood had decayed completely.
The main aim of renovation was prevention of the further damage and exposure of the paintings’ artistic value.
Firstly, photographic documentation was completed. The surface of the ceilings was cleaned from dust and surface contamination. After cleaning, the preliminary sterilization of the object with an insecticide was done through spraying and brushing. Contamination were removed with chemical products after the tests were conducted. Heavily damaged parts of wood were saturated with a solution of acrylic resin. Damaged slats which masked gaps between the planks were repaired. Then peeling layer of paint was consolidated. Cracks and big losses of wood were filled with epoxy resin. The surface of wood and some losses of the layer of paint were levelled with acrylic putty. The losses of the layer of paint were stippled with acrylic paints.
