CHURCH OF ST. FLORIAN IN VARA？DIN. RESULTS OF CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION RESEARCH AND REVIEW OF WORKS (1992 – 2017)

Sa？etak Church of St. Florijan is located on a narrow raised plateau, at the northern edge of the Old Town of Vara？din, along the old Roman road from Ptuj to Osijek. The approach of the church is emphasized by two pillars with angel sculptures. The main facade captures the city space by convex line. The harmonious, singlenave church with a slightly narrower polygonal sanctuary contains a valuable, completely preserved inventory from the Baroque era. The facade and the interior are emphasized by stone carvings, sculptural, stucco, painting and joinery details, carefully executed and of high quality, that testify of the high level of artistic craftsmanship in Vara？din in the 18th century. The program for the protection and preservation of this cultural monument, organized and managed by the Croatian Conservation Institute, included the archival, conservation-restoration and archaeological research, the project and the presentation proposal, the subsequent conservation of the construction and of the inventory as well as the conservation-restoration works on the facades and in the interior; on wall paintings, stucco, stone, metal and wooden inventory. The facade was researched in 1992 and restored in 1995, while the interior was researched in 1997, and the extensive conservation works took place between 2001 and 2017. Two major architectural phases were established on the facades: the first, from the mid 18th century, when the chapel was externally plastered and the second phase, which has been restored, from the time when the belfry was built after the fire in 1776. In the well-preserved interior, two complete phases of decoration were established, the first one from 1738 to 1745 and the second from 1870. The restored equipment and painted decoration from the first phase were presented, while, to our regret, the altars and the pulpit which, together with the paintings, contributed to the particular harmony of the interior, have remained unchanged in the appearance of the second phase when they were overpainted in a renovation of the interior. The restored window wings in church and wall paintings in the Chapel of God’s grave date back to the 19th century