Urgent call for repairs to medieval churches in Honing and Crostwight

An unusual series of medieval paintings depicting the seven deadly sins could be lost from the walls of All Saints Church at Crostwight near North Walsham unless £150,000 can be found to re thatch the leaky roof, re-render the walls and repair the exterior flint work, windows and lime plaster, which has become loose close to the paintings.

 Honing Church needs the same amount for urgent work, including repairs to the already leaking roof and some replastering.

 Rector the Rev Barry Furness said: “We are blessed in Norfolk to have the largest collection of medieval churches in the UK. Churches like Crostwight and Honing are typical examples of these beautiful churches which have to be preserved for future generations. If repairs are not carried out buildings can deteriorate to the point where they are lost.”

Click here to read this article from the North Norfolk News

Restoring medieval frescoes in Rome

The Superintendence for Archaeological Heritage of Rome announces the extraordinary opening to the public of the restoration site of the early medieval frescoes of Santa Maria Antiqua in the Roman Forum. Guided tours of the church will be held until November 4, 2012, which can be arranged by visiting www.coopculture.it

Reconsecration of Pannonhalma Abbey Church

The medieval church of the Archabbey of Pannonhalma was restored over the last few months, and was solemnly reconsecrated today. The interior reconstruction of the 13th-century abbey church was carried out according to the plans of British architect, John Pawson. The reconstruction mainly focused on the main liturgical area of the church, the chancel and the monastic choir. The main goal of the alterations was to restore the simplicity of this space, and this meant the removal of the 19th century historicising decoration designed by Ferenc Storno (Storno similarly removed the earlier Baroque furnishing of the basilica, to make way for his own, 'historically correct' decorations - now his work suffered a similar fate). The Storno-reconstruction, which was completed in 1876, was the last major intervention inside the church. Storno's pulpit was moved to a chapel at Pannonhalma, while the 19th century stained glass windows - including the large rose window depicting the patron of the church, St. Martin - have been deposited at the Museum of Applied Arts in Budapest. On the other hand, the painted glass panes of the side aisle remained there, and the vault frescoes of Storno were cleaned.

Click here to read this article from Medieval Hungary Blog

All Saints North Street church to be restored to 15th century form

Restoration work has begun at one of York’s finest medieval churches to return a chapel to the way it was almost 600 years ago.

Officials at All Saints North Street want to restore the Lady Chapel to the form it took in 1421, when a hermit-like “anchoress” in the church had seven famous visions of the Virgin Mary.

The church plans to replicate a 5ft 10in statue of Mary, which was larger than the average female height for the time, and to recreate the original tiled floor pattern, based on surviving fragments and old church records. The originals have worn and been lost over time.

Wardens have already found medieval oyster-shell paint pots and a coin that has yet to be dated and professional archaeologists began excavation work yesterday.

Click here to read this article from the York Press

Your chance to see £1.2m restoration of medieval Somerset tithe barn

A medieval barn in Nailsea which was restored at a cost of £1.2 million is throwing open its doors to allow people to take a peek behind the scenes of the historic building.

A series of tours of the Grade II listed Tithe Barn, which opened in June following a year-long refurbishment, are being held over the coming months.

Tours will be held every third Monday of the month from 10am to 11am on January 16, February 20 and March 19. The barn, which is one of Nailsea’s oldest buildings dating back to 1480, has been a centre of schooling since Hannah More founded Nailsea Great School in 1789.

Click here to read this article from the Bristol Evening Post

Aga Khan Trust helps restore 16th century tomb

The Sunderwala Burj, a 16th century mausoleum adjacent to Mughal emperor Humayun's tomb, has been given a major facelift by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, with the US embassy funding and support of the Archaeological Survey of India.

The mausoleum, part of the Humayun's tomb complex, was restored at a cost of $50,000 from the American Ambassador's Fund for Culture Preservation and a matching grant of the Aga Khan Trust, said conservation architect Ratish Nanda, who head the trust's projects in India.

Click here to read this article from the India Gazette

New medieval carvings discovered in Royston Cave

Underneath 500-years-worth of dirt, new carvings were revealed today on the floor of a medieval cave. The discovery of what is thought to be burial plaques was made at the start of an investigation to restore and protect the 13th century mystical drawings in a 5,000-year-old chalk cavern 40ft below street level in Royston.

Click here to read this article from The Hertfordshire Mercury

Work begins to preserve historic carvings at Royston Cave

Conservationists in Hertfordshire are working to preserve historic underground carvings.Dating from the 14th Century, the wall carvings at Royston Cave feature a range of religious symbols.

Since its discovery in the 18th Century, the cave has experienced a marked deterioration in the detail of its carvings. Experts believe the damage is being caused by worms feeding on nutrients in the chalk walls.

Click here to read this article from the BBC

Marvão, Portugal: Medieval Castle Renovation or Destruction?

Photo by Jose Porras

The tiny, walled-in, mountaintop village of Marvão—a medieval gem in Portugal’s Alentejo region—has sweeping views of the countryside (including some of Spain, just 10 miles away), a population of less than 200 people, and a spectacular 13th-century castle. The village is especially incredible for an overnight getaway, as you’ll get the town practically to yourself after sunset, when Lisbon daytrippers have fled.

Better get there quick, though, as it seems much of the flavor of Marvão may be about to slip away. That’s thanks to village officials’ bizarre move to renovate the castle—in ways that appear to have a grave lack of regard for its history.

Click here to read this article from Forbes

Medieval Armenian cemetery renovated in Turkey

A historical Armenian cemetery dating back to 1061 A.D. and measuring hundreds of acres in the eastern province of Sivas has been jointly renovated by the Armenian Patriarchate of Turkey, the local municipality and the provincial governor’s office. A Muslim cemetery located in the area also underwent restoration as part of the project, which was conceived by Minas Durmazgüler, the leader of Sivas’s Armenian community.

The renovation effort is being carried out in collaboration with the Patriarchate under Durmazgüler’s supervision in the village of Tavra near Kumlutarla. Sivas Mayor Doğan Ürgüp told the Hürriyet Daily News that 70 percent of the cost of renovation was paid for by the municipality, while the remaining 30 percent was taken care of by the Patriarchate and the owners of the cemetery.

Click here to read this article from Hurriyet Daily News

Complex operation to put cross on Wiltshire cathedral

A new stone cross was lowered into its permanent position in one of Britain's finest medieval cathedrals yesterday.

The cross, which was carved from a single block of stone and took 220 hours to complete, was placed in Salisbury Cathedral at the apex of the north east gable.

It was only the third cross to be carved during the cathedral's major repair programme. The others were fixed on to the cathedral in the 1990s.

Click here to read this article from The Gazette and Herald

Norton Priory in Runcorn prepares for fresh lottery bid

Europe's largest archaeological monastic site is preparing to exorcise its ghosts of two years ago and compete for lottery cash in Runcorn. Norton Priory said the grant would pay for bigger and better display facilities.

The move would enable it open its vault of previously unseen treasures including medieval skulls, coffins, metal work, wood carving, pottery, glass and ornate tiles.

Click here to read this article from Rudcorn and Widnes Weekly News

Government steps in for the restoration of Trapezitsa Fortress in Veliko Turnovo

The Bulgarian Government will allocate one million leva for the renovation of the Trapezitsa Fortress in Veliko Turnovo, Bulgaria's famous medieval capital, local media reported on March 10 2011.

Veliko Turnovo is a city in north central Bulgaria, referred to as the "City of the Tsars", Perched on the Yantra River, which presented a natural defensive line, the old town and its castles are famous as the historical capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire.

Click here to read this article from the Sofia Echo

Design firm restores medieval banquet hall

A medieval banquet hall has been restored to its original glory – thanks to a South Tyneside design company.

Hebburn-based Restaurant Design Associates (RDA) was appointed by the award-winning Blackfriars eaterie in Newcastle to renovate a 50-seat 13th century banquet hall.

The restaurant is one of the oldest dining rooms in the UK, dating back to 1239, and the hall was the celebrated venue used by King Edward III for receiving Scottish king Edward Balliol.

Click here to read this article from The Shields Gazette

Scientists examine medieval painting at the Tower of London

A medieval wall painting at the Tower of London has received some special attention from scientists at Nottingham Trent University. Dr Haida Liang and her team of researchers were invited by Historic Royal Palaces to use hi-tech equipment developed at the University to examine the 14th century Byward Tower wall painting – without the need to touch or damage it in any way.

For the past six years, Dr Liang and her team have been refining the development and use of non-invasive techniques for examining paintings and archaeological artefacts.

Click here to read this article from Medievalists.net

Lichfield Cathedral awarded £100,000 for its urgent masonry repair work

Lichfield Cathedral has been awarded a £100,000 grant towards the cost of more urgent masonry repairs.

The medieval building is in the grip of continued renovation and its naming as one of six English cathedrals to receive funding "could not have come at a better time", according to church elders.

The grant, from the Wolfson Foundation and the Cathedrals Fabric Commission for England, will go towards stonework repairs of Lichfield Cathedral's Lady Chapel, in conjunction with the conservation of the Herkenrode Glass.

Click here to read this article from the Lichfield Mercury

Help sought for Tripoli's crumbling treasure trove

In the inner court of the Turgut Pasha mosque in the Libyan capital's old medina is a low green sarcophagus, and in the sarcophagus are the bones of a pirate.

The Turkish corsair Turgut Reis helped capture the city for the Ottoman empire in 1551, wresting it back to Islam from the Knights Hospitaller after four decades of Christian rule.

"The tomb of Turgut is a kind of relic," said Walid al Masri, a local imam visiting the mosque on a recent Friday for the midday prayer. "It's just one reason why more must be done to protect holy places here."

Click here to read this article from The National

£400,000 repairs to begin on damaged stained-glass windows at Lincoln Cathedral

Work to begin repairing and restoring a set of medieval stained glass windows at Lincoln Cathedral will begin next summer.

The cathedral's works department is planning a £400,000 restoration of all four lancets underneath the Bishop's Eye Window, in the South Transept.

As reported in the Echo, a 13th-century medallion depicting Moses in a Biblical scene in one of the panels, was smashed into pieces two years ago as a would-be thief fled.

A modern copy was installed after the incident and the original will eventually be put back in.

Click here to read this article from the Lincolnshire Echo

Westminster Abbey to get million pound makeover in time for the royal wedding

The Abbey, which is expected to host up to 3,000 guests at the royal wedding in April, including Royals and heads of state from around the world, is to receive a grant from an American bank to conserve more than 10 of its most important treasures.

Among the artefacts to be restored in the run-up to the wedding include the Cosmati Pavement, the medieval tile mosaic in front of the High Altar where Prince William and Miss Middleton are expected to take their vows.

A 14th century portrait of King Richard II, which hangs on a pillar by the Great West Door and will be one of the first things that members of the wedding procession see as they enter the Abbey, will also be restored.

Click here to read this article from The Telegraph

£7.5m project to revitalize Chester Cathedral

The Cheshire West and Chester Executive Council has given the go-ahead for a £7.5m project that will bring major changes to the Chester Cathedral. The council will now issue a tender for a single contractor to oversee the first phase of the “Cathedral at Height” project.

“Cathedral at Height” aims to convert the medieval tower into a unique viewing gallery. The council hopes to ‘open-up’ the ideal city-centre setting for Chester’s top tourist attraction, plus add a new flexible stage in the Nave providing a venue seating between 1,200-1,800.

Click here to read this article from Medievalists.net

Restoring 'lost city' of medieval Spain

It has been 100 years since excavations started on the Madinat Al Zahra, the magnificent 10th century palace city near Cordoba in southern Spain. Although only 11% of the city - built by the powerful caliph Abd Al Rahman III - has been uncovered, it is unlikely that it will take another century to unearth the remainder of the site given the rapid advances in excavation technology.

In a curious parallel, new techniques such a tele-imaging, that are being used in order to understand the 115-hectare site, reflect the revolutionary building techniques developed here a thousand years ago, and which came to define the distinct "Andalucian style".

A nearby museum completed on the site in 2008 and shortlisted for this year's Aga Khan Award for Architecture, is the base where research and restoration is carried out on objects recovered from the archaeological site.

Click here to read this article from BBC News