Frescoes dating back to second half of 18th century discovered in Vitebsk

13 декабря 2017

By Marina Romanovskaya: Frescoes, supposedly dating back to the second half of the 18th century, were discovered in Vitebsk. The painting was found in a building on the bank of the Western Dvina, where several centuries ago there was a monastery. After the revolution of 1917, the three-storey building housed a vocational school.

The building itself is a historical and cultural site. In the future, Vitebsk’s first gymnasium will be located here.

The frescoes were found under several layers of oil paint. Experts say that this is how the old painting was preserved intact until present times. Presumably, the murals date back to the second half of the eighteenth century. But the exact dating has yet to be established.

Experts discovered only small fragments. And most likely, the entire ceiling is covered with the frescoes. One thing is clear – there still is a lot of work to be done. It is possible that project designers will have more to do, too. After all, it is unlikely that they expected an old painting to be part of an old room in a technical college.