Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean (5.1993(1994))

CONSERVATION OF THE WALL PAINTINGS
The conservation programme included structural reinforce-
ment, replacement of putties and surface cleaning of the paintings
in the narthex, on the northern end of the western wall. The
superimposed layers of secondary plastering were removed by
Egyptian conservators who used Paraloid to protect the surface of
the painted layer. Cracks and fissures were filled with gypsum. In
selected parts of the paintings a thin layer of secondary plaster was
left. In several places it was necessary to reattach peeling frag-
ments of plaster and to reinforce the bonds between the original
painted layer and the ground underneath; injections of Primal AC
33 were used for this purpose. Upon removing the secondary
layers of plastering from around the wall paintings, a lime mortar
band was applied to reinforce the edges. The same mortar was
used to fill in the cracks and losses, upon removing the gypsum
which had been used for temporary protection. The secondary
plastering and whitewashing were removed from the surface of the
paintings mechanically. Chemical means were employed to clean
large surfaces, especially the extremely dirty and sooty lower parts
of the compositions; Paraloid which had been used at first was
removed with compresses of ethyl alcohol and acetone as well as
mechanically. The work still has to be completed in the future.
Investigations of the southern wall of the church revealed
some small fragments of paintings in the central part of the wall
and three better preserved compositions in its eastern end, inside
the hurus. Proceeding with a layer-by-layer examination, it was
found that the original painted layer is very weakly attached to the
wall of mudbricks set in a mud mortar and that the secondary
plaster layers are hard and closely adhering to the painted surface.
It was also found that the painted layer weakly adhered to the

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