(JHE) — The structural integrity of the 17th century Izaak Synagogue, a jewel of Kazimierz, the historic Jewish district of Krakow, is seriously threatened by large cracks found in its high barrel vault.
In an announcement on Facebook earlier this month, the Social Committee for the Restoration of Krakow Monuments (SKOZK) pledged further support in attempting to save the Baroque building, which dates from 1644 and one of seven historic synagogues in Kazimierz.
Believed to have been designed by an Italian architect working in Krakow at the time, it is noted for its colourful wall paintings of prayers and ritual imagery, as well as the elaborate stucco work on the vault, which soars 14 meters above the sanctuary.
Cracks appeared in the vault in 2018, SKOZK said. Investigations revealed “considerable width and extensive branching of cracks.” An expert opinion commissioned by the Jewish Religious Community, it said, “revealed excessive deformation of the vault surface, which does not properly transfer loads.”
Last year, with the support of SKOZK and additional input from experts, a technical design for securing the vault was developed. This, SKOZK said, resulted in choosing a conservation method “that would guarantee the least possible interference with the beautiful stucco decorations of the vault. This will be possible thanks to carbon fiber tapes that will fasten the vault from its upper surface (i.e. from the attic side).”
It said in a comment to its post that examinations had concluded that the “the basic cause of the damage” appeared to be “the faulty geometry of the vault structure […] compounded by other problems, including, above all, deformation of the roof structure.”
Less serious cracks had already been detected in the vault in 1988, it said, and renovation in the late 1980s and early 1990s had seemed to have resolved the problem. But, “as it turned out, this was a wrong assumption.”
SKOZK pledged “further assistance in saving the synagogue – part of a unique complex of Jewish religious buildings on a European scale, erected from the end of the 15th century to the end of the 19th century, located in an area inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.”
Maciej Wilamowski, director of the SKOZK office, was quoted in local media as describing the situation as “truly one of the most serious failures in a monument of this class in Krakow in recent decades. It covers the entire vault above the nave.”
Unfortunately, the repair will involve considerable costs, because the technology of carbon fibers installed “from the top” is expensive. Installing steel profiles “from the bottom” was considered, but then a very large part of the 17th-century stucco would have to be torn out and reconstructed, and this in itself would be a huge loss for culture.
He said that in 2023 SKOZK had contributed 80,000 zloty (€18,000) to support the preparation of security documentation. “It is now with the conservator. The Jewish Community intends to submit an application for further funding to save the synagogue after obtaining permits.”