How the stained glass windows in the small towers of the Evangelical Cathedral in Sibiu were restored

Sibiu's Evangelical Cathedral underwent a renovation process that began in 2017 and was reopened to the public in October 2021. The renovation was done with great care, respecting the Gothic style of the monument. The restoration of the stained-glass windows at the highest accessible level of the tower was entrusted to Ion Dumitrașcua carp carpenter from Cugir. The simple and austere windows, most of them completely destroyed by the weather, were 55 meters high, in the four towers that flank the great central tower. Ion didn't shy away from the difficult working conditions, nor from the demand to stick to the original design. He had done work in Sibiu before and his clients, owners of houses in the old city center, were pleased with the way the doors, windows and old shutters had been cleaned and restored. The representatives of the cathedral were pleased with the work and as small jobs are still being done in areas inaccessible to the public, Ion is called whenever a staircase, a door or other wooden objects need to be restored.

I knew about the cathedral work at Naturalpaintwho supplied the Kreidezeit paints to protect the window frames, and as we were on our way through Sibiu, we decided to meet Ion. Working in such conditions could not be without its ups and downs, and we wanted to find out.

192 steps were climbed up to the tower windows

The Evangelical Cathedral is the tallest building in Sibiu, at just over 73 meters. The central tower has 7 levels, access is only possible up to the towers, at 55 m. There were the windows that had to be replaced, having been totally destroyed by the weather, and 192 steps had to be climbed to reach them. Don't think of them as the ones in your apartment block. The ascent starts with a spiral staircase and continues with rather uncomfortable catwalks. Ion had to climb up the windows. He had helpers, he climbed them gradually, but it was still difficult. I climbed with just my cell phone in my hand and I was breathing hard when I reached the tower.

The windows in the towers were completely blown out, with the wind blowing strongly in the tower and birds flying in. To keep away the pigeons, recognized as a danger to the monuments, the cathedral's representatives acquired a falcon whose nest is in the tower. It has a special entrance through a stained-glass window in the tower and seems to be doing its job well because there are no pigeons in Albert Huet Square, where the cathedral is located.

The windows, with molid were made by Ion at his home in Cugir. He doesn't usually buy ready-laminated material because he doesn't trust that it's done correctly. The original pattern with simple, straight lines has been reproduced. The glass in the single windows, below the stained glass, is secured to prevent possible accidents should they fall. The weather and sun resistance of the wood has been ensured with an initial coat of linseed oil, after which a coat of semi-greased paint and one of greasy paint Kreidezeit. The windows will be periodically maintained in order to prevent them from reaching the state of deterioration of the original ones.

When they were ready, the windows were carefully packed and brought to Sibiu for installation. A cathedral maintenance team helped to put them up. There were 10 men in all. But it was a two-man job, with only one helper. It took three days because the place was cramped and uncomfortable. Plus the noise and discomfort of the wind coming through the empty spaces. But he succeeded and now he's glad he took on the job because it's no mean feat to have something done by your own hand in such an important monument.

Baking soda blasting, a safe way to clean carved wood

Over the years, Ion had other jobs in Sibiu. Broken doors, windows that needed to be replaced looking the same, wooden staircases, peeled and dirty shutters. He repaired or rebuilt them all respecting the building and its original appearance. One of the buildings he worked on to clean and repair shutters has the year of construction written on the wall:1681.

Often all these old objects, some of them very dirty or with intricate carvings, need to be cleaned. Fragile wood needs the least aggressive treatment possible, which is why he's got himself a sandblasted with baking soda. The fine bicarbonate particles penetrate into hard-to-reach places and clean the wood without damaging its structure. The transformation is spectacular, leaving the wood perfectly clean.

Even if, at first glance, all this work doesn't look like much, it is important. It takes people who treat the past with care and respect and Ion does just that. He respects the original model, the owner's requirements to preserve authenticity, without personal notes or artifice. The work is clean and honest. It's what's needed when it comes to preserving an identity. This is how we keep our roots.

The Evangelical Cathedral, an emblematic building of Sibiu

According to documents, the construction of Sibiu's Evangelical Cathedral began in the 14th century on the site of an old 12th-century church. It was built in Gothic style, the original plans being modified several times in the almost 150 years of construction. It gained its cathedral status in 1867 when the seat of the Saxon Lutheran bishop's see was moved from Biertan, one of the first Saxon settlements.

The tower is over 73 meters high, making the building visible from any point in the city. The presence of the 4 smaller towers in the 4 corners of the central one is symbolic and shows that Sibiu was once ius gladii (right of the sword, Latin), i.e. the judge had the right to sentence those on trial to death. They were also used for many centuries as a fire lookout point (fire lookout) because they offered a panoramic view of the city and fire-fighters could be directed faster and better.

Regarding the height, a legend says that the Saxons of Sibiu wanted to have the highest evangelical church. As at that time the tallest was in Bistrița, representatives of the community went there, climbed up the tower and let a rope down to measure the height. But the town's elders invited them to dinner where they got them drunk and, taking advantage of their poor attention, cut a piece of the rope. This allowed the 75m high church tower in Bistrița to retain its title as the tallest.