Work is also proceeding at a brisk pace on the monastery building. The contractor is replacing the roofing. The old elevator has been demolished, along with most of the unsuitable interior fixtures. Inside, water pipes are already being installed, and the courtyard has been dug up to lay new storm drains. The National Heritage Institute has approved the windows and interior doors, and these have been ordered for production. During construction work on the ground floor, staff from the heritage office discovered another stone portal, the renovation of which will be the focus of the next phase. Another stone portal at the entrance from the monastery floor to the church tower will be fitted with a door so that this opening, which was bricked up during the communist era, can be used occasionally in the future. As you can see, all work is proceeding under the careful supervision of heritage preservationists and an archaeologist, but unfortunately, no pot of gold was found either during the demolition of the bricked-up openings or in the deep excavations for the sewer system. We are therefore preparing to launch a fundraising campaign to repair at least part of the monastery’s facade in the Paradise Courtyard, so that we can make use of the scaffolding, which is difficult and costly to erect here.
