Dozens of images of saints of the XII century were gathered by the restorers from the wreckage of a mural of St. George’s Cathedral St. George monastery, have informed “Interfax” in the Novgorod state Museum-reserve.
The restoration of monumental painting is carried out in the workshop of the restorer of the state Museum Tatiana Romashkevich,.
“As a result of archaeological excavations, we had an incredible number of fragments of the faces of the saints. The discovery of these faces and other fragments of frescoes is equivalent to the discovery of an outstanding monument, unique in Veliky Novgorod is not” – said T. Romashkevich,.
In her opinion, the painting of the Church was made by masters of the highest level, probably Byzantine, possessing exceptional technique. “They painted murals at once and entirely, not modifying them later. Apparently, the painting of St. George’s Cathedral later became the model for other paintings of the ancient Russian churches,” – said the restorer.
As reported, excavations in the St. George monastery, the Institute of archaeology of Russian Academy of Sciences (Moscow) began in 2012. Research is conducted in the framework of the restoration of St. George’s Cathedral, which, according to the Chronicles, was founded at the monastery in 1119. Supervises the work of senior researcher of the Institute of archaeology, corresponding member of RAS Vladimir Sedov.
In the course of excavations outside of the temple, scientists found a large number of fragments of frescoes, knocked down the walls of the Cathedral during its renovation in the early nineteenth century.