|
Ana Bârca
The expected benefits were: Romania was involved in the project "European wooden cultures" right from the beginning when, in September 1999, the Council of Europe campaign "Europe, a common heritage" was launched in Bucharest. The main reason for Romania's participation in this project is the existence of a rich civilisation of wood, developed over hundreds of years. Areas of interest extend beyond national borders. Wood trails extend all over Europe. Free from the limitations of political frontiers, wooden architecture was characterised by more flexible borders, with structures and construction techniques largely the same over extensive areas. In the region of the Carpathians and the Dinaric Alps (Romania, the western part of former Yugoslavia, and northern Albania), the principa elements are assembled according to an identical system. The blockbau technique has disappeared in the Balkan peninsula and the Rhodope and Pindus ranges because of deforestation, but it is still found in central and northern Europe. In the mountain valleys of central and north-eastern Slovakia, including
Slovakia and Transcarpathian Ukraine were incorporated in the Hungarian state; later the Austro-Hungarian Empire included amongst other regions the Czech and Slovak lands, Hungary, Transylvania, Bukovina, Transcarpathian Ukraine and parts of Poland. This administrative, legal and economic unification encouraged inter-ethnic contacts. The region around Lvov, in western Ukraine, is representative of the architecture of buildings constructed from long beams joined at the corners. Characteristic elements are also found in European Russia; we can identify a unity between the region of Novgorod and the area extending north through the regions of Kostroma, Arkhangelsk and Karelia. The region of Karelia, part of which belonged to Finland between 1917 and 1947, shows a transition towards the wooden architecture of the Nordic countries due to the presence of structures specific to seventeenth and eighteenth-century Finnish architecture. The results of this civilisation - architecture, artefacts and skills
- In contrast to other European countries, Romania has preserved a large
In rural settlements or the seventeen open-air museums (situated close
to towns), tourists and visitors can get an image of a real wooden civilisation.
In addition, the continuation under different forms of skills (trades)
is proving to be of interest. There are two sides to this interest: Open-air museums deal with wooden culture related to traditional folk heritage, principally connected to rural life, and agricultural and local craft occupations. The museums document domestic and farm buildings and technical installations, rural crafts, artistic crafts and craftspeople, and also research their social, economic and historical contexts. The open-air museums purchase representative buildings and collect craft items of exceptional quality or significance. They conserve wooden buildings in situ and within the museums for display to the public. In this way, the museums help the continuity of craft skills on a small scale because the conservation and restoration processes represent employment for a few craft masters from the rural environment. Wooden craft objects are conserved for storage or display to the public in their architectural settings or as part of special exhibitions. Buildings surviving in situ or preserved in open-air museums give an indication of the geographical extent of this wooden architecture, its evolution and the direction of influences in its development. Religious buildings are among the oldest surviving monuments of wooden architecture. Traditional wooden churches are preserved in great numbers in Romania; 1 200 wooden churches are officially listed buildings. Many of them stand in the north and north-western part of Romania and date from the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries. The earlier churches were destroyed during different invasions. Culturally, the churches play an important part in religious practice today as places of activeworship, but moreover these churches are testimony to the achievements of past generations. They are a permanent part of the fabric of village life. However, the churches also play a growing role in cultural tourism. The Romanian wooden churches follow the layout of Byzantine Orthodox
churches. The planimetric structure consists of a rectangular nave (naos)
and narthex (pronaos), with reduced apse of the polygonal chancel (sanctuary).
The entrance could be on either the western or southern facade, with a
porch or not. The roof of the church follows the outline of the plan.
The belfry stands suspended over the narthex. Inside, wall paintings depict
scenes from both the Old and New These churches are generally located on a prominent or elevated site close to or in the middle of the village. The churches are adjacent to the graveyard since the custom is burial and not cremation. The area surrounding the church is usually laid out with fruit trees. The surrounding lands, which are owned by the parish council, are conservation areas and protected by law. Such historic and religious structures of outstanding importance represent the strong points of the national strategy of conservation and restoration. Returning to the subject of the transnational programme of the Council of Europe, after the third meeting of the working group, held in March 2001 at Järvsö in Sweden, the decision to organize a series of workshops as a practical activity was taken. The first workshop was organized in Romania. It was held between 20 and 31 August 2001. The principal venue was the village of Baica in Salaj county, north-western Romania (Transylvania region). The workshop focused on two wooden churches from the villages of Baica and Racâs that were going to be restored. The goals of the Council of Europe campaign were adapted to this programme with Romania being deeply interested in the development of a human project, which meant the involvement of a number of individuals in an active team responsible for deciding cultural directions. With a precise task to perform, the experts and craftsmen were able to communicate without words on the basis of the skills they already possessed. The workshop was integrated with the project work. The wooden churches
of Baica and Racâs were selected for various reasons: Before the start of the workshop, at the beginning of May 2001, representatives of Sweden and France visited the proposed sites. The preparation meeting in Romania was attended by the following: from Sweden, Henrik Larsson, project manager, representative of the county administration of Gävleborg, Göran Andersson, project manager Timmerdaget, and Peter Sjömar, Technical Director at the School of Building Crafts, Mariestad; and from France, François Calame, adviser in ethnology, DRAC de Haute Normandie, Daniel Coudert, carpenter, and Thierry Casanova, co-ordinator for the building sector, GRETA (Groupe d'établissements publics locaux d'enseignement), from France. During this visit, the condition of the buildings was assessed and the main proposals of the restoration project were presented by the Romanian architect Niels Auner. In order to get a better picture of matters relating to the preservation of the traditional heritage, other wooden churches, restored or under risk, were visited. Later, the group walked through villages, looking and talking with different craftsmen such as carpenters and blacksmiths. The final discussion focused on further steps in the preparation of the workshop, such as period, quality, number of participants and other practical matters.
The letters included practical information and were completed by a short description of the chosen sites and the restoration measures proposed by the architecture restoration project; these last matters were presented on the project's website. Other letters were sent to the local administrative and religious authorities, to the regional museum and General County Directorate for Culture and Heritage. A file containing the abridged restoration project, the description of other wooden churches included in the field trips, the evaluation of the forestry policy, maps and drawings was prepared for each participant. The preparation of the sites was done by the contractor Vasile Pop and theengineer Anamaria Halasz. At the same time, they found houses for hosting the participants in Baica and took care of the cooking area and food supply. Also, the contractor looked after supplying the sites with timber, other materials and tools. Together with the regional Museum of History and Art of Zalau, represented by Valeria Lehene and Anamaria Halasz, they prepared a photo exibition on wooden churches in Salaj county. The Romanian Ministry of Culture and Cults provided the finance for this workshop together with the restoration work. All expenditure over these two weeks accommodation, meals, domestic travel, etc. - were covered by the ministry. With the exception of France each country announced their firm participation. From Finland came three people: one architect and two carpenters. Lithuania participated with only one person - a conservator-restorer of traditional wooden artefacts. Poland sent three people: a general conservator and restorer of polychrome wood and two carpenters. The Swedish group was comprised of four people: one architect, one project manager, and two carpenters. Turkey sent three people: two architects and one carpenter. The Romanian team was comprised of fourteen people: one architect responsible for the implementation of the restoration project (Niels Auner); six carpenters and the principal contractor (Vasile Pop, the head of the carpenters team); one construction engineer (Anamaria Halasz), who had the task of checking the work carried out on restoration sites in this zone; one art historian who was at the same time responsible for the workshop on behalf of the Department of Historic Monuments (Ana Bârca); a conservator-biologist (Livia Bucsa); a technician architect experienced in the field of wooden churches from Salaj county (Valeria Lehene on behalf of the county museum); and two interpreters (Liana Hossu and Eluca Sut). There was a suggestion that a guest programme should be arranged at each workshop but only Sweden participated in this. Five representatives came to Romania: Cecilia Olsson (National Heritage Board), Henrik Larsson (County administration of Gävleborg), Magnus Sjöholm (carpenter-restorer), Roger Persson (local museum of Edsbyn, Gävleborg) and Pär Lindström (photographer). During a three-day visit they visited the sites, held discussions with participants and walked in the village. They visited other churches too and a neighbouring rural zone - Maramures. The photographer stayed at the workshop for the rest of the time, filming and conducting interviews with all the participants.
Arrivals in Romania: Monday 20 August 2001 Architect Niels Auner gave an introduction to the principles of construction in historical timber buildings based on a case study and general objectives of the workshop, and presented both sites. The conservation of selected churches covers a full spectrum of different types of work. According to the conservation principles, the restoration project is intended to preserve the church's appearance and character. The operations (changes) that were to be performed aimed at removing certain previous inadequate interventions and a return to its initial shape based on documentary evidence. In this manner, he provided a summary description of the present condition of the building, giving special consideration to its structure and fabric. The emphasis was on identifying the main structural characteristics and this part of the workshop looked at all architectural features. The workshop was divided up into groups for an analysis of the churches: the Finnish and Turkish teams at Racâs, the Polish, Lithuanian and Swedish teams at Baica. Then they changed over, giving all the participants a chance to study both churches. The church in Racâs is the Church of the Holy Archangels, which was built in oak and fir wood in the second half of the eighteenth century and painted in a number of stages: 1774, 1783 and 1834. The church in Baica has the same dedication - Holy Archangels. It was built in oak wood in 1665, relocated from one part of the village to another place (present site) at the end of eighteenth century and then painted in the interior. The examination of the materials and technical methods used provided the basis for a common discussion at the end. The following topics were presented: conversion of timbers, including both those familiar and unfamiliar, general and those specifically related to the sort of materials used, kind of tools, construction methods, function, plan, volume and decoration. The remarks referred to wall types and joint systems, vault and roof construction, details of the leaf doors fixed into the wall, windows, kinds of wooden pegs and bolts and type of shrine. The first proposal to study the buildings in two distinct phases was not feasible but fabric and decay are tightly connected. The Finnish architect gave some general conclusions after his examination of the churches. The Baica church is not a complicated building; it was built by the inhabitants of the village. The architect felt that certain mistakes were made just at the start of construction. Before being painted, the church was relocated at least on one occasion. The movement is inscribed in the words on the plinth of the entrance door, but reading the structure it can be seen that the timbers were not put in the right place. He noticed that oak wood was used at Racâs, which is unusual in Finnish architecture. The foundation was missing and the socle made in stone and earth filling was very poor and had decayed the floor boards. In the decoration of the doorway some elements remained of stone architecture. The Romanian architect explained the role of the basement in the restoration of such a church, stopping the damp rising and giving equilibrium to the whole structure. The Polish group noticed: The Swedish group presented details on the differences between Swedish timber joints and those studied in the Romanian churches. The construction of roof structures is different, one of the causes being the large dimensions of the vernacular buildings. Each part of such a construction has been analysed from the technicai point of view: basement, sills, walls, doors and windows, cover roofs, decoration, sizes and forms. The presentation was accompanied by drawings. The Turkish group presented their remarks and insisted on the traditional not chemical treatment in the conservation of the decayed wood. The Turkish experts do not have experience of buildings such as the present churches, but they showed slides of a wooden mosque. Tuesday 21 August 2001 Visiting these famous wooden churches dating from the eighteenth century and included on the World Heritage List, the participants got an opportunity to discuss the problems solved during the large-scale restoration process carried out in 1996-98. Barsana church: the foundation, socle and damp-proof course (DPC) did not show signs of alterations, except for the northern side. Here, due to the land slope, the ground level rose, partly covering the socle. The sill beam made of oak wood was in good condition, and so were the exterior walls. Due to the church's relocation and general wear, some joints had opened. The wall between the narthex and nave was sloped, subsequently resulting in the displacement of the narthex ceiling. When modifications were made to openings, the wood adornments were destroyed. The lightning rod was damaged and hence ineffective. The inside painting had degraded because of the dampness. The interventions were carried out on site: the wall which divided the
Desesti church: the foundations of the church did not respect
the geological conditions. A concrete belt had been castled to surround
the church. All these works were inadequate. The active xylophagous insect
attack had occurred on the inner side of the walls. The joints of the
structural elements were dislocated. When the church was struck by lightning,
the tower structure was severely damaged and the spire reduced in height.
A great number of woodpecker holes have The building was uncovered (the roof was taken away), reducing the weight of the church. Preparatory work was carried out by elevating the church whilst alterations to the foundation were made. The decayed sills were eliminated and a new sill beam, cut in one piece of wood, was inserted. The spire was reconstructed in its earlier form, height and appearance as shown in earlier drawings and photographic records. A new shingle roof completed the work. The painting restoration lasted three years. The participants met in the workshop of Vasile Pop; where a wooden church had been dismantled piece by piece and moved to the workshop for restoration. The questions touched on a number of topics taking into consideration the extremely damaged structure and complex restoration. Participants had the opportunity to see and discuss all types of decay. The repair and restoration of the walls and apertures were also discussed. How the logs are felled or in which way the patching of the end beams is made are just a couple of examples of the questions posed. The carpenters explained the steps in the interventions from hewing of timber to tightening wall beams and remaking the missing parts from a block-built structure. The possibility to reuse certain fragments of old wooden pieces in other areas of the building in order to patch some structures was discussed. The application of treatment methods so as to stop insect and fungal attack was explained by the conservator-biologist. Wednesday 22 August 2001 Later on, the biologist explained the types of decay caused by: Many types of decay are the effects of xylophagous insect attack, algae colonies, lichens and moss. The spire body is usually damaged by woodpeckers making holes in the tower. The water leaks exposed the underlying framework of the roof. The rainfall and then the moss, lichens, insects and fungi decayed the covering shingle. This damage allowed the humidity to penetrate the roof structure and decay the rafters, baltens and tongs. The conservation work envisaged the revision and replacement of the damaged roof elements. These matters were noticed and discussed on each piece of building. Following the analysis of the various types of damage to the buildings and after taking into account the conservation guidelines and other relevant considerations, the techniques selected were tailored to the conservation needs. The missing foundation, socle and waterproofing damaged the sill at Racâs. The decayed sill affects the mechanical parameters of the structure. The making of a cyclopean concrete foundation, dry stone masonry for the socle, waterproofing with lead sheet and renewing of the sill are the measures proposed against the rising damp. The similarities and differences between the two sites were underlined. The examination was made by comparison with the existing drawings and approved measures. For example, the relocation of Baica church caused the transformation of certain structures and the damage of others. This was particularly visible in the present shape of the apse, the condition of the consoles and the existence of an artificial portico along the main facade. The present appearance of the roof at Racâs church is the consequence of previous repairs. According to one of the conservation principles, this modification was not retained because of the significantly damaged original character. The modification was not a historical structural addition. It was needed to regain the initial outline (silhouette) and volume. The thorough analysis of the present condition of each monument stated the need to replace some highly decayed elements, for which preservation is no longer an option. Two of four upper sills of the longitudinal walls have been completely destroyed by fungi and insects. The beams had entirely lost their substance and consequently their resistance. There were many ideas and suggestions on this subject. The beams or some parts of them could perhaps be kept. In the end, all the experts agreed with their complete remaking. The new pieces will preserve the original shape, size and essence of the material, and will be made using traditional techniques. The paintings would be transferred onto the new beams. The condition of the painted decoration is precarious, particularly in Racâs. Dampness resulting from temperature variations - condensed vapour and leaking water - had degraded the glue with which the cloth strips were stuck between the beams. The cloth strips had become loose in many places; soot, dirt and smoke from the candles had brought degradation. The painting layer has been worn away back to the undercoatoreven to the wood. The qualities of the glue in the plaster and the colours have been lost. The linen strips over the gaps between bulks have detached, taking with them the painted coating. The entire surface is covered with a uniform layer of dirt. The erosion of the plaster has led to the disappearance of the painting. The state of conservation of the painted ensembles varies from one unit (space) to another. In the narthex, the painting has many blanks. The painting of the vault and sanctuary is better preserved, but still very dirty. The upper areas of the walls and the ceilings show dark spots due to microbe infestation because of the leaking water. Other brown spots were produced by the migration of tannin under the influence of moisture which had also eroded the gypsum ground coat and the pigment. All these features were highlighted and explained by the experienced Polish conservator-distemper restorer Pawel Baranowski. The conservation interventions would include wood treatments, and cleaning and consolidation of the plaster, colour layers and linen. These tasks were carried out by the Romanian painting restorers immediately after the completion of the workshop. In order to work on the structure of the walls, the bell tower (Racâs) and vault of the nave (Baica) were elevated. Whilst following these interventions with interest, the participants remarked on the use of the unsophisticated mechanism. The elevation was made with winch jacks and pieces of wood. The missing upper part of the wall between nave and narthex was manufactured with new timber. The Finnish and Swedish carpenters worked together with the Romanian people whilst the architects made proposals for solutions and surveyed the ongoing work: shaping the timber, which was done manually (the craftsmen used axes for the initial rough shaping), and the correct placement of the carvings for the beam joints. Once the length of the new pieces was established, the positions of the joints could be cut. To ensure a firm and rigid structure, grooves were made on the entire vertical part and a wedge fixed into both the horizontal and vertical elements. This solution was discussed for a long time by Finnish and Romanian architects and carpenters. Nearly half the barrel vault was also missing at Racâs. The processing of the new pieces was postponed until after the completion of the workshop. Once the intervention to the body structure is completed, the tower and vault will be set up into the right position. In general, work on the monument highlighted the need for a multidisciplinary team with distinct functions. At the same time, activities overlapped. Thursday 23 and Friday 24 August 2001 During these two days, practical demonstrations took place that provided valuable knowledge. Everyone tried shaping the logs and handling the specific tools. Another interesting demonstration was a series of operations connected to shingling. From the initial splitting of pieces from the tree trunk to their shaping, sometimes into ornamental forms, simple tools were used but they were all well adapted to their tasks. Even today, the same tools are used. The rough pieces are soned by size and shaped by the repetitive action of a craftsman sitting in a special chair designed for this operation. When the shingles are attached to the roof, a third shingle is laid over each pair in order to prevent water penetrating. Over the years various methods of laying the shingles have developed. Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 August 2001 Apart from churches, another interesting place visited was the Roman
These visits to the churches helped share knowledge, raised interest and furthered cooperation. Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 August 2001 Two days before the workshop came to an end, the leader of the Swedish team gave all the participants a one-page evaluation questionnaire. The answers would later be sent to the Directorate of Historic Monuments within the Ministry of Culture and Cults. I should mention that Sweden was responsible for the entire series of workshops. I should like to quote a few of the answers to particular questions: 1. Did you get enough information about the workshop
before it started? Did you get it in time?
If not, suggestions for improvements? "Yes, I got enough information and I got it in time." (Stig Nilsson, carpenter) "It would have been good to have the programme for the workshop before leaving home." (Anna Blomberg, architect). 2. What about the workshop items and methods? What
was good and what was not so good?
Suggestions for improvement? "The demonstrations were very good. Everybody understood the language of working, although there should have been more of it and better planned. Each country could have planned one or two demonstrations and asked for material beforehand." (Anna Blomberg) "The presentation of the workshop was good. The discussions were interesting for understanding another country's problems... But the discussions would sometimes leave the ground and become a bit too abstract. The demonstrations were interesting and fruitful for me. Here we could clearly see that an understanding between craftsmen was possible without the need for a common language. The language of the crafts does not need many words." (Stig Nilsson) 3. What do you think about the general metbod
for this series of workshops?
"The investigations of the actual buildings were interesting as
they were 4. Did you like working together with people
from other professions? "It is always very good to work over the professional borders and I am used to that." (Anna Blomberg) 5. What do you think of the arrangements
overall? "The programme was fully booked and there were some very interesting field trips." (Stig Nilsson) "Our combined dining-meeting-class room was very suitable. And everything
was made with a great feeling of quality." (Anne Blomberg). Two of the biggest open-air museums, Sibiu and Sighetul Marmatiei (Romania), expressed a desire to co-operate with the Department of Historical Monuments in the training of craftsmen. This workshop again offered the craftsmen the opportunity to distinguish between an ordinary wooden construction and a historical building. ln Romania, it is well known that the northern villages provide the most experienced carpenters. Therefore, these workers are solicited everywhere in the country. With the same knowledge, skills and tools, they repair, renew or build wooden houses throughout the country, but given the kind of intervention needed on the monuments, the approach is different in this case. The theoretical presentations on the characteristic architecture of historical value in the other countries underlined this distinction. In the context of this workshop the importance of the restoration plan
was also addressed. The preparation of a restoration plan for a monument
implies the consideration of all resources. The resources of a building
include its fabric, carving and paintings. In many cases, only architects
prepare this sort of plan, but this time the craftsmen followed on site
some of steps that are involved in preparing it: A big advantage could be gained in encouraging craftspeople and restorers to share ideas and in increasing their self confidence. Their work has a use, not only by physical participation. Interactive information established through an effective network should be considered as a framework. This could include the development and exchange of experiences of case studies in key areas of technical and managerial competence. It would include information on failures as well as on success stories. The knowledge of the craftsmen from the other countries influenced the view both on the churches, which were objects of the workshop, and on preservation in general. The definition of the objective of the work was made explicit, so that everyone's efforts were directed towards the same goal. In buildings made of perishable materials such as wood, traditional materials and skills are used for the repair or restoration of worn or decayed parts. Traditional methods should be used wherever possible. Replacement of missing or decayed parts must integrate harmoniously with the whole, but must be distinguishable from the original so that the restoration does not falsify artistic or historic evidence. It has been found that craftsmen prefer to use their skill in renewing rather than repairing, and this is dangerous. One of the objectives of conservation is to preserve the maximum amount of existing material. No historical evidence should be destroyed. The application of these principles is a part of the ethical code for the conservation of timber structures. Once more the Romanian craftsmen learned to respect history. They appreciate the skills of past performers and realized the "continuity" that exists in their trade. On the other hand, the maintenance like the first phase of conservation was tackled promptly. Taking into account the variety of experiences and knowledge of foreign specialists, the minimum appropriate level of maintenance was defined. The causes of decay control could be the action implemented by different persons like carpenters trained to notice a cultural resource. The natural forces enhance the beauty of the monuments, but climate and users' needs and care influence the degree of maintenance. The National Centre for Training in Conservation in Bucharest focused on this point of the workshop programme. I think it is also important to devise another project: the Polish one
|
|
|