One of Warsaw’s oldest churches, St John’s Cathedral in the Old Town is badly in need of repairs.
Originally built in he 14th century and rebuilt several times, it was a fine piece of English Gothic Revival until Nazi Germans destroyed it during the Warsaw Uprising of 1944. It was rebuilt after the war but the reconstruction was hasty and carried out with limited funds.
Now, the scope of work will be enormous, says Marcin Kozarzewski, head of a team of specialists who prepared the preliminary renovation plan. It will cost over 20 million zlotys (around 4.8 million euro), with over 17.7 million zlotys coming from EU coffers.
The renovators will first have to deal with excessive humidity, especially in the crypts beneath the main aisle, where many notable persons are buried, including the Mazovia dukes, writer Henryk Sienkiewicz, premier and composer Ignacy Jan Paderewski.
A new lighting system will be installed turning the spotlight on the most interesting parts of the interior. Educational paths will be laid out for tourists. The Museum of the Archdiocese, with its magnificent collection of sacral art, will be moved to a prime location in a palace next to the cathedral. The renovation is to start in mid-2010 and will take two years. (kk)
Source: Gazeta Wyborcza