RENAISSAINCE ART, RESTORATION & ARCHITECTURE   There is no real future without preserving our history and our culture ~ Dan Tarnoveanu

There is no real future without preserving our history and our culture ~ D.T.

Cozia Monastery
Cozia Monastery
Calciulata, Vilcea County, Romania
Cozia is an old monastery located on Olt Valley in the Carpathian Mountains in Romania.  It is a magnificent monastic complex, comprised of the main church, three chapels, and the monks' cells.  Cozia was built by Mircea cel Batrin (Michael the Elder) in 1386.  The interior of the Main church was decorated with Byzantine style fresco paintings.

Fresco is an ancient very durable technique consisting of painting on wet lime plaster that has been reinforced with organic fibers such as: hemp and horse hair.

The frescoes from the naos (central nave) and the central apse (altar) date from 1386.  They are 123 years older than the frescoes painted by Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel.   The pronaos (columnated portico) and its frescoed decoration date from late 17th Century.

Dan Tarnoveanu was a member of a team of architects and art conservators working under the Romanian Orthodox Patriarchate who performed the restoration of the main church between 1984 and 1986, led by Viorel Grimalski and Ion Neagoe.


Restoration consisted of: 

  • Consolidation of the lime plaster layers that had become detached from the masonry walls and filling the missing areas of plaster support with lime plaster compound.
  • Consolidation of flaking and delaminating paint
  • Cleaning
  • Inpainting (reintegrating the image) using painting materials compatible with fresco painting.

The restoration project was completed in 1986, during Cozia's 600th year of existence.



DURING RESTORATION
           (Photos to be uploaded)
AFTER RESTORATION
           (Photos to be uploaded)
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