Information about the object:
The 18th-century polychromy (by Andrzej Solecki) is part of the decoration of the whole church (fragmentarily covered with whitewash), with a common theme and style.

The polychrome paintings are located in the northern chapel, part of the Gothic church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Holy Cross and St Bartholomew, which was founded in 1392 by King Ladislaus Jagiello (this date marks the beginning of the Catholic parish in Drohobych). The building is one of the oldest churches in Eastern Galicia and at the same time the oldest and most valuable monument in Drohobych. The polychromes are part of the Polish cultural heritage in Ukraine. Drohobych itself belonged to the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth until the 18th century, then was incorporated into the Habsburg monarchy. It found itself again within the Polish borders between 1919 and 1945, after which it was within the borders of the USSR (territory of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic) until 1991. It was during this period that the greatest damage was done to the church, as it served as a warehouse. Pews, confessionals, carved altars and valuable paintings were burnt, and the historic organ was sold. It was only in 1989 that the Poles living in Drohobych recovered the church, and its gradual restoration has been ongoing since then.

Completed works:

2021
The aim of the project is the technical conservation of the polychromy on the walls of the eastern and western walls of the northern chapel in the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Holy Cross and St Bartholomew in Drohobych.

The project concerns the second stage of full restoration of the painting decoration of the church interior and includes conservation (painting decoration) on the walls of the chapel.

The works include:

- removal of secondary layers of whitewash and emulsion paints by mechanical method,

- removal of secondary mortars using a mechanical method,

- polychrome surface cleaning using a chemical method,

- disinfection with a biocidal preparation,

- impregnation of plaster and exposed brickwork,

- drawing up as-built conservation documentation.

2022
The project envisaged uncovering the decoration on the south wall from under the layers and carrying out the necessary technical work, and for the other walls - restoration work. The aim was to stop the destructive processes, restoring the paintings to their full aesthetic and artistic value. Due to the extensive damage to the painting decoration on the walls and its complete absence on the vault, it was necessary to develop a design for the interior of the chapel as a whole.

2023
Continuation of conservation work on the polychrome paintings in the northern chapel, the development of a project for the reconstruction of damaged fragments of the composition and the execution of these reconstructions, giving colour to the vault. The effect of Stage III of the works is the completion of activities at the wall painting decoration, started in 2020, which will contribute to the restoration of a coherent interior aesthetic to the church.

Funding: Programme of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage "Protection of Cultural Heritage Abroad".

More about the project: edition 2021 , edition 2022 , edition 2023

• Fundacja Niepodległości, realizacja w latach 2021-2023.