Saint Saviour’s Monastery is the “general headquarters” of the Custody of the Holy Land in Jerusalem and has been since 1559, that is, for 447 years… The original monastery, of course, was not of its present size, which has become a bit more stable since 1884 (122 years ago). This date marks the beginning of construction of the present church. Finished in 1886, the church celebrates its 120th anniversary this year. At Saint Saviour’s, as in any building, there is always something to repair and, as in every aging monument, the repairs must often be thought of in terms of restoration. Thus, the water leak from faulty sealing in the roof had to be repaired. But the water damage to the paintings also required restoration. Not for the first time, since in 1985 Father Basilio Talatinian, then guardian of Saint Saviour’s Monastery, had already had the vault redone for the centenary of the church’s consecration.
Once again, the ceiling has suffered, and at the initiative of the current guardian, Father Jerzy Kraj, Viktor, a Russian Christian restorer of Israeli nationality, was charged with the work. He has done more; he not only restored the paintings in the original style, but also embellished the sacristy ceiling with the Custody coat of arms. In addition he nourished and varnished the woodwork in the sacristy and the choir stalls.
At the same time, Sasha, a Russian volunteer in the Custody, devoted himself to the painstaking work of cleaning the two candelabras in the choir, working almost like a silversmith, but with a toothbrush. These two silver candelabras of almost two meters in length were crafted in Venice in 1762 for the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher.
Having completed this work, Sasha applied himself to putting the vestments in the sacristy in order, some of them true masterpieces of embroidery. The monastery conceals many other treasures. Some of them are taken at times from the monastery grounds to take part in an exhibition. There is enough here to fill a museum or two… While waiting, the Custody takes care of its heritage.
MAB
Once again, the ceiling has suffered, and at the initiative of the current guardian, Father Jerzy Kraj, Viktor, a Russian Christian restorer of Israeli nationality, was charged with the work. He has done more; he not only restored the paintings in the original style, but also embellished the sacristy ceiling with the Custody coat of arms. In addition he nourished and varnished the woodwork in the sacristy and the choir stalls.
At the same time, Sasha, a Russian volunteer in the Custody, devoted himself to the painstaking work of cleaning the two candelabras in the choir, working almost like a silversmith, but with a toothbrush. These two silver candelabras of almost two meters in length were crafted in Venice in 1762 for the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher.
Having completed this work, Sasha applied himself to putting the vestments in the sacristy in order, some of them true masterpieces of embroidery. The monastery conceals many other treasures. Some of them are taken at times from the monastery grounds to take part in an exhibition. There is enough here to fill a museum or two… While waiting, the Custody takes care of its heritage.
MAB