CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION OF 20 ICONS ILLEGALLY TAKEN TO THE REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA AND RETURNED TO THE REPUBLIC OF NORTH MACEDONIA COMPLETED
The National Conservation Centre – Skopje has successfully completed the conservation and restoration of twenty icons that had been illegally taken to the Republic of Albania and subsequently returned to the Republic of North Macedonia. The icons originate from churches in the Struga region (the villages of Radozhda and Selci), the Bitola region (the village of Gjavato), and the Municipality of Resen (the village of Dolno Perovo).
The National Conservation Centre – Skopje was responsible for conducting the conservation research, preparing the conservation project, and implementing it. The entire process, which included conservation research, the preparation of the project, and the direct conservation treatment of the icons, was carried out over a two-year period. The conservation project was completed in November 2024, following which its implementation commenced in the laboratory of the National Conservation Centre – Skopje.
The conservation and restoration works were carried out under the supervision of Nevenka Velichkovska, MA, Painting Conservator and Conservation Advisor, together with the professional team, while the art historian was Darko Nikolovski, MA.
In parallel with the completion of this process, intensive activities have been initiated to secure the return of the remaining icons, which are still located in the Republic of Albania. These activities involve experts from the National Conservation Centre: Dr. Jehona Spahiu Janchevska, Art Historian and Conservation Advisor; Dr. Valentina Poceska, Painting Conservator and Conservation Advisor; and Dr. Mishko Tutkovski, Art Historian and Documentation Advisor, as well as representatives of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Directorate for the Protection of Cultural Heritage.
We hope that the process of returning the remaining icons, followed by their conservation and restoration, will also be successfully completed, following the example of this important project.
On the occasion of the completion of the conservation and restoration of the twenty icons, TV Alfa produced a television feature dedicated to this significant project. The feature included contributions from the Director of the National Conservation Centre – Skopje, Aleksandar Jordanovski, MA, and the Head of the Conservation and Restoration Works, Nevenka Velichkovska, MA, who spoke about the processes involved, the professional work carried out, and the significance of the measures undertaken to protect cultural heritage.
Prepared by: Dr. Jehona Spahiu Janchevska, Art Historian and Conservation Advisor for the Artistic Heritage of the Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Period (9th–18th centuries), and Head of the Department for Research and Conservation Planning of Immovable Cultural Heritage.
Watch the feature at:
