The full restoration of the chapel at the Navarov Chateau was enabled by the chateau owners who provided complete funding for the project. If not for them and their enthusiasm, the reconstruction of the chapel would be hardly possible.
Kaple zámku Návarov, stav po restaurování
The chapel in Navarov consists of a nave with a triumphant arch, and the separated presbytery. The original solution from the second half of the 17th century didn’t use colors or colorful decorations. Shortly after, the area was whitewashed repeatedly. In the Baroque era, the surfaces of the apsis, concha and arch were covered in a thin layer (about 3–5 mm) of rough plaster, used as the foundation for the painting depicting the Assumption. The central figure was surrounded by illusive painting of altar architecture and colorful ornaments of architectural surfaces; in Heaven, there are angels with attributes of the death of Christ (crucifix) and the celebration (crown, flowers); in the center, God the Father is levitating, together with the dove – the symbol of the Holy Spirit.
Between 2015 and 2017, restoration was carried out inside the chapel in order to renew the original decorations (wall paintings), the altar stone and the tabernacle. Prior to restoration works, the paintings were stabilized, and the plasters were secured by injections. Based on the precise restoration survey, the concept of the restoration was made.
In the nave of the chapel, under the additional layers of paint, the restorers discovered green trimming of windows, doors and alcoves. Additional layers of paint were also stripped from the altar stone, dated 1666; the original polychrome layer was fixed, and plastic defects were filled-in and surface-adjusted. Under the additional layers of polychrome in the Baroque tabernacle, marbling was discovered, combined with silver and gold decorations. The original polychrome surface was reinforced and cemented, the putty was ground and retouched, and the reconstruction of the polychrome, its gilding and silver-plating were carried out.
Additional restorations included the new pulpit was restored, built inside the chapel in the 19th century, the choir banister, and the Baroque door. New painted windows were installed, and the brick floor was restored.
The restoration works, conducted by painter and restorer Tomáš Berger, were finished in November 2017. The chapel was restored to its Baroque design. What’s extraordinary is that the restoration was solely funded by the owners – it’s not usual to restore the heritage sites without any institutional funding.
Nominated for the Liberecký Region by the regional center of the National Heritage Institute in Liberec.
Petr Turek a Radka Turková, owners of the heritage site and sole investors, were nominated for the National Heritage Institute Prize, category: Rescue of a Heritage Site, Restoration.
