RESTORATION OF THE WHITE STONE SCULPTURE OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE MOTHER OF GOD FROM THE VILLAGE OF TETEVCHYTSI OF CHERVONOHRAD DISTRICT, LVIV REGION
Authors: Kulhavets Andrii , Rybchynskyi Oleh 
Published: July 2022

The article analyzes the history of creation, stylistics and plastic solution and development of the technology of restoration of the white stone sculpture of The Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God in the village of Tetevchytsi of Chervonohrad district, Lviv region. Remarkable works of limestone were created of limestone in Galicia during the XII – XX centuries. Unfortunately, monuments of sacral art suffered major damage in the second half of the XX century due to acts of vandalism committed by followers of the communist regime ideology in Russia. They are responsible for the destruction of churches, cathedrals and synagogues. The monuments of sculptural art were destroyed as well. The rethinking of the sacral heritage and activation of restoration processes began only after the restoration of Ukraine's independence. Hence, the issue of restoration of the sculpture of The Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God in the village of Tetevchytsi is currently of great interest and complex scientific research is the basis for the success of the planned work. The sculpture was placed on the pediment over the entrance of the parish church in the village of Tetevchytsi. Before the restoration the monument was in poor condition and the head of Holy Mother was missing. Older residents of the village say that an unknown soldier intentionally shot it off during the Second World War. The bullet, which was found in the wall of the church behind the Virgin, is the evidence that this story is true. After studying the general concept of restoration the program was developed and approved: to carry out photo fixation of the state of the monument before restoration, to conduct the analysis and processing of the cartogram of losses, to determine the sequence of stone conservation works, to carry out cleaning of stone using dry method with the help of brushes, to carry out cleaning of the sculpture using the method of sandblasting, to clean it from cement layering, to perform extraction of salts, to perform structural strengthening of stone with silicon-organic matter, to restore the lost elements of the folds of clothing with mineral restoration solution, to make a head out of plasticine on the basis of analogues and make a plaster form, to reconstruct it from artificial stone, to glue the head with epoxy resins and anchor made of stainless wire, to strengthen the structure of the stone with silicon-organic matter; to cover the sculpture with a biocidal solution of long-term action; to perform glazing of the sculpture, to perform hydrophobization of the sculpture with silicon-organic solution, to make recommendations on storage conditions and compliance with the protection of the monument. The significant role in the restoration of the head played the use of analogues of sculptures from the cemeteries of the surrounding villages. As a result of comparative analysis, it was found that the stylistic solution of the sculpture corresponds to the techniques typical of the 1930s. This is confirmed by the preserved sculptural compositions in Tetevchytsi and surrounding villages. Most likely, the author of the restored monument was a representative of a craft school of this region. Compatible materials of Ukrainian and German production are used in the restoration works, which meet the principles of reversibility. It is recommended to return the monument to its place after the restoration.