Lavra Belltower Restoration will be finished in spring

The Graet Belltower of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra will be opened for visitors in spring 2012. This fact reports the site of the National Kyiv-Pechersk Historical and Cultural Museum.

The large-scale restoration of the highest (96 meters) belltower of Ukraine had lasted already for about a year.  “Each tier of the Bell tower has a special meaningful filling”,  - indicates the chief architect of the nature reserve Alexander Romanenko. In general, there are four of them, and each subsequent tier gets more and more elegant and extraordinary décor.  For example,   the fourth tier is decorated with golden double-headed eagles that have royal crowns on them. However, the eagles have already losted their gilding long time ago. That is why today professionals have much work to do.  Also the unique modelling in the form of little leaf with amazing pictures was found at the top of the belltower and started to restore.  Earlier under the dome of Lavra Belltower it was found   the figure in the form of an angel,  in 60 – inch in length, which is cowered with the tinsel gold. About the existence of this unique figure which belongs to XVIII  century it is known from the archival documents.  The angel was accidentally found by the workers in December 2011.

The Great Lavra Belltower was bild during 1731 – 1745 under the control of german architect Johann Hotfryd Shedel. For its building it was spent 5 million pieces of bricks different size and forms.  Its height is 97 meters, the thickness of he walls at the lower part is 8 meters. One can reach the top of the Lavra Belltower only coping with  the 364 steps. The latest restoration works were finished in 1961 because of the damages during the Second World War.

Source: http://www.istpravda.com.ua/