The collegiate church in Ołyka in Volhynia is one of the most significant monuments of early Baroque sacred art in the lands of the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

The temple was built in 1635-1640 with the foundation of Albrycht Stanislaw Radziwill, according to a project by Italians Benedetto Molli and Giovani Maliverne. The sculptures were made by artists of German origin Melchior Erlenberg and Michal Germanus.

The two-year (2018-2019) project included the restoration of the collegiate façade, the conservation of the sculptures and reliefs, the marble portal and inscription plaques, as well as the wooden clock faces and stone detail. The work of the conservators was accompanied by numerous conservation studies, which, among other things, made it possible to identify the painting layers of the sculptural and artistic decoration of the façade. Based on the results of these studies, conservation of the sculptures was carried out.

The research also revealed the painted decoration of the niches and the crowning conchs with a painted shell motif, which were subjected to appropriate conservation. Extensive structural work was also carried out, including the replacement of plaster, insulation, stabilisation of stone cornices, replacement of flashings, etc.

In 2019, the conservation of four wooden rosettes from the temple's vault began. The work was multifaceted, ranging from conservation technical treatments of the preserved elements to reconstruction work. They included, among other things, the removal of the deposited biological and atmospheric material, the removal of improperly made secondary repairs, the reconstruction of missing fragments in the linden wood, the execution of glazing and their plastering. In addition, all corroded iron structural elements were replaced with new ones made of stainless steel. The conservation of the rosettes was completed in 2020.

Executor: Cultural Heritage Foundation

The conservation work was carried out between 2018 and 2020 as part of the Polonica Institute's strategic programme "Protection of Polish cultural heritage abroad".