Information about the object:
The Latin Cathedral, whose construction probably began in the 1460s, was originally a parish church. Its construction took more than 100 years. In 1405, after the chancel was vaulted, it was consecrated as a parish church. In the 15th century, the erection of surrounding chapels also began. The first to be built were the Buczaccy and the Bracka families. The character of the cathedral changed with the modernisation works carried out. Particularly important were those carried out in the 1860s, giving the interior a Baroque character with Rococo elements. It was then that, among other things, the painting decoration of the walls and vaulting of the nave by Stanisław Stroiński was created. Further significant changes took place at the end of the 19th century. Not only was the presbytery renovated according to a design by Julian Zacharewicz, but stained-glass windows and polychrome paintings were also made by students of Jan Matejko. Both World War I and the Polish-Ukrainian fighting and war with Russia halted the work, and wartime requisitions deprived it, among other things, of its copper roof. Work resumed in 1923, but again the war and, above all, the period of Soviet rule in Lviv meant that, despite all efforts, the cathedral's condition steadily deteriorated. It was only after 1991 and the ingress of Archbishop Marian Jaworski that long-term restoration work began, largely financed by the Senate of the Republic of Poland and the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, and since 2018 also by the Polonica Institute.

Completed works:
The task included the conservation of the stone portal in the western porch of the Latin Cathedral, which is the main entrance to the church.

Its location resulted in dirt and mechanical damage; multi-layered repainting made it impossible to assess the actual condition of the object. Significant cracks were visible in the upper part of the portal, passing to the wall.

The work consisted of disinfecting and cleaning the surface, removing secondary repainting and unsightly additions to the stone made during previous repair work, and underpinning the cracks and fissures by injection. Additional strengthening of the structure with stainless steel brackets and bars was carried out. The defects were filled with a suitably selected mineral mortar. Strengthening of the stone surface with organosilicon preparations and hydrophobisation was also carried out.

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

More about the project: https://polonika.pl

• Stowarzyszenie Oświaty i Kultury Polskiej, realizacja w roku 2022.