Resen, 5 June 2023 (MIA) — Minister of Culture Bisera Kostadinovska Stojchevska and Greek Ambassador Sophia Phillipidou visited St. George Church near the Prespa village of Kurbinovo to inspect ongoing fresco conservation works in 12th-century Orthodox monastery notable for its rare frescoes from the Macedonian Renaissance period of Byzantine art.

According to the Ministry of Culture, the cultural heritage conservation project is being carried out by Bitola's Institute and Museum and Thessaloniki's European Center for Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Monuments.

"The expert and the general public both were right to demand the immediate protection of the highly valuable cultural heritage of the St. George Church in Kurbinovo and its frescoes that are a rare example of Byzantine wall painting," Minister Kostadinovska Stojchevska told the press in Kurbinovo.

The fresco conservation specialists started working on the church conservation project two years ago, "joining their professionalism, technical capabilities, knowledge, experience, previous research results, modern methods, and dedication toward this long-awaited project," Kostadinovska Stojchevska said.

The culture minister said the Thessaloniki and Bitola experts worked on the 12th century frescoes including the one of Archangel Gabriel, also known as the Angel of Kurbinovo.

"The conservation of the wall paintings in one of our most valuable monuments of culture from the Byzantine period has also contributed to promoting our countries' cultural cooperation and bilateral relations, exchange of experiences, and professional networking. This cooperation can serve as a model for our future cooperation in the conservation and affirmation of common cultural heritage," Kostadinovska Stojchevska said.

Ambassador Phillipidou agreed that the implementation of the project was an example of close bilateral cooperation.

"The project will continue and it will include the contribution of a group of conservators from the European Center for Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Monuments in Thessaloniki, led by Flora Karagianni, as well as other conservators from Greece," Phillipidou said, noting that the project was supported by the Greek Ministry of Culture.

At this stage of the conservation project, the experts said they used modern research techniques and technologies, including laser scanners and infrared and multispectral cameras, to gain deeper insight into the construction of the St. George church in Kurbinovo and its frescoes. mr/