Project realised in 2023

The Catholic cemetery in Daugavpils (formerly Dyneburg) was established at the end of the 19th century. The ceremonial act of consecration was performed on 16 October 1878 by Father Jozef Yalowiecki. It is in this necropolis that the Polish lawyer and consular officer Stanislaw Syrewicz (1858-1926), who served as the first head of the Polish consular office in 1920-1921 with the rank of consular agent in Dyneburg, is buried. He also ran his own law practice, served as prosecutor and head of the local Bar Association.

The conservation work on S. Syrewicz's tombstone was aimed at eliminating the dampness of the object, removing disfiguring and deteriorating secondary repaintings and protecting the historic substance against harmful external factors.

First, the foundation of the monument was unearthed and left to dry. After the surface of the tombstone had been disinfected, the cleaning of the tombstone from strongly integrated layers and secondary repaintings proceeded. For this purpose, the object was washed with a pressure washer with the aid of chemical preparations, and then cleaned with the blasting method and mechanically with scalpels. The next step was to fill the cracks and fissures. The porcelain with the image of Stanisław Syrewicz and the metal relief with the personification of justice underwent conservation. Based on an analogy found in the cemetery and other bas-reliefs corresponding in style, the missing fragment of the ceramic representation of Christ was reconstructed. After proper drying of the foundations, vertical insulation was carried out. Finally, the surface of the object was hydrophobised and then painted with solosilicate paints.

The acceptance of the conservation work took place on 16.11.2023. In connection with the Foreign Service Day falling on the same date and the fact that Stanislaw Syrewicz held the post of the first head of the Polish consular office in Latvia, the unveiling of the monument after the works was accompanied by a ceremony attended by: the ambassador of the Republic of Poland to Latvia, Monika Michaliszyn, the representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, Ineta Kudina, and the vice-president of the Union of Poles in Latvia, Ryszard Stankiewicz.

Executor: Witold Butkiewicz Conservation of Monuments