An unusual discovery after the flood in Lower Silesia. Age-old decorations have seen the light of day
Thanks to the removal of wet plaster after the flood in Kłodzko, previously unknown niches were discovered. They are decorated with paintings from the late Baroque era.
The flood that hit Lower Silesia in September brought enormous destruction, and residents are still struggling with its effects to this day. The local portal 24klodzko.pl reported that the element damaged 147 residential buildings in the city, including as many as 79 single-family houses. A total of 1,200 buildings required drainage and repairs.
Paintings discovered in the church in Kłodzko
One of the buildings where necessary works are still ongoing is the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary, which is part of the Franciscan monastery.
While breaking down the wet plaster, an interesting discovery was made there. Under the paneling there were previously unknown nooks and crannies – niches that were decorated with paintings and bas-reliefs centuries ago. They probably come from the late Baroque era, so they may be up to 300 years old. The decorated niches were probably bricked up in 1810, when the building was used by the Prussian army under the secularization decree. At that time, weapons were kept in churches.
The conservator will protect the valuable decorations
As Father Ignacy Szczytowski told TV Kłodzka, marble paneling was probably added here in the 1980s.
– After 1997, it was not removed. And now the decision was made to take it off because it was not known what was behind it. The paneling of the entire church began to be removed and strange rework was discovered. We started to investigate what it was and from what period, he said.
Volunteer Hanna Szczepanowska said that not all niches had been completely exposed, and at this stage it would be unfavorable. – They have their own atmosphere in which they have been preserved for so many years – she explained. The newly discovered spaces in the church will be preserved and later exposed.
The temple in Kłodzko survived floods four times – previously in 1783, in 1938 and in 1997. Approximately PLN 1.5 million is needed to dry and remove mold from the church after this year. The Franciscans asked the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage for money for this purpose.
