Project to be carried out between 2019 and 2023

The Well of St John of Dukla, located in the inner southern courtyard of the former Bernardian monastery, is an example of small architecture with a cultic function. Its creation is linked to the beatification of Dukla in 1733, when a series of works took place to give the relics an appropriate setting and to commemorate the saint. One of these is a brick well built between 1748 and 1755.

Comprehensive conservation works cover all the historic elements of the building: the truss and roofing, the dome structure and the polychromes inside, stone and metal elements. In addition, engineering works related to drainage and lighting of the well are foreseen.

Below are the phases of the works carried out in each year.

Works carried out in 2023.

Work continued on the conservation and restoration of the statue of St John of Dukla: a new base for the statue was shaped from copper sheeting, and after thorough cleaning and anti-corrosion protection of the surface, the gilding proceeded.

A lot of work was devoted to cleaning the stone pillars and the stone decoration of the well. The planned use of lasers was abandoned in favour of traditional sandblasting because of the stone-coloured overpaintings showing under the outer layers (once a popular method of "refreshing" the appearance of objects). Repairs were carried out to large stone defects in the lower parts of the pillars and the well shaft. The stone vases decorating the dome of the well were dismantled and restored.

Work on the conservation of the paintings in the dome and on the pendentives was brought to a high stage of completion. All the fragments that had fallen off were glued, missing plaster was repaired, and dirt and secondary paintings were removed. This allowed the composition of the painting to become clearer, which made it possible to decide on the method of retouching and reconstruction.

The situation revealed by the demolition of the stone floor inside the well necessitated design changes - it turned out that the existing slabs were unsuitable for re-installation and would have to be replaced with new ones (as a result, the layout of the substructure layers was also changed). As part of the demolition work, the metal water tank located under the well cap and the steel beams supporting it were removed and maintained. Once these elements had been reinstalled, the new substructure layers, including the use of drainage mortars, were made in accordance with the replacement design.

Stabilising and levelling the ground around the well made it possible to erect a scaffolding, giving access to the roof. The state of preservation of the trusses was verified. It became apparent that the elements were so rotten that they would need to be fully replaced. Once the elements of the rafter framing had been reconstructed, a new covering of copper sheet was laid in horizontal strips.

Executor: ZKR Sp. z. o.o.

In addition, the maintenance of the four metal gratings filling the well arcades was commissioned in 2023. The grilles in place today are different from those visible in photographs from the 1930s. Back then, they took the form of a low fence, reaching one-third of the height of the arcade, whereas now they are two-winged, decoratively shaped infills with a finial. The matte black paint covering the elements was preserved with numerous cavities through which corrosion had penetrated. Individual decorative elements were missing in some parts, and the finial of the grating on the side of the roadway was heavily bent and deformed. The conservation work was therefore aimed at restoring the correct form of the metal grating and securing the elements so that they could be displayed outdoors for many years to come. The grilles were cleaned of previous coats of paint, covered with zinc paint and then with a topcoat to give the character of old metalwork.

Executor: Art Service Dorota Miściuk-Jędrzejczyk

Work carried out in 2022.

Due to the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, this year's conservation work was carried out to a limited extent.

The statue of St John of Dukla, located on the dome, was dismantled as part of securing historical objects located in the urban space of Lviv from destruction as a result of warfare. Then, already in the workshop, the object's state of preservation was assessed in detail. The metal supporting structure appeared to be in good condition and only required cleaning and corrosion protection. Conservation work began, which included cleaning the object of build-up, dirt and atmospheric pollutants and stopping corrosion processes. Gold fragments preserved on all parts of the statue confirm the information that it was originally gilded.

In addition, moulded gutter elements (39 pieces) were made in granite, which were needed for drainage work and to tidy up the area around the well.

Executor: ZKR Sp. z. o.o.

Works carried out in 2021.

The works began with a preliminary reconnaissance and assessment of the state of preservation of the paintings on the dome vault and sails. Initial attempts to clean the overlays on the polychromes proved that they were strongly bonded to the paint layer while at the same time the paint layer was very poorly bonded to the substrate. It was therefore concluded that consolidation and strengthening of the painting had to be carried out first.

In 2021, work was also started on cleaning the stone surfaces. The main problem here turned out to be the extensive cement mash and restorations.

As these had a sealing effect on the surface of the limestone, the limestone remained very weakened, with a strong tendency towards subsidence. This is particularly true of the lower, outer parts of the building. The upper parts of the object survived in better condition, and in their case the cleaning attempts were satisfactory.

Executor: ZKR Sp. z o.o.

Work carried out in 2019.

In 2019, laser scanning of the object was carried out, on the basis of which a detailed inventory was created, which was necessary for further work.

Conservation work carried out between 2019 and 2023, Conservation Programme, Polonics Institute.