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| Issue 02, July 2006 |
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| homepage > Interview
with George Zambelas |
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George
Zambelas
INTERVIEW
with Leda Bouzali |
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The
Restoration of the Church of Evangelismos
A Breath of Confidence for Alexandria's Greek
Population |
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It took two years
to complete maintenance and restoration works
on the Orthodox Church of Evangelismos in Alexandria,
Egypt. The building was originally constructed
using stonework during the period 1847-1856
and is impressive in size, covering a ground
surface of about 1,000 sq.m. and standing at
a height of approximately 20 m. The initiative
for the project, which is of extreme importance
for the Greek population of Alexandria, is
attributable to three inspired and insightful
men: Petros, the Patriarch of Alexandria & All
Africa, Stelios Papadimitriou, the President
of the Onassis Foundation, and Stefanos Tamvakis,
Vice-President of the Emigrant Hellenic Council
and Honorary President of the Hellenic Community
of Alexandria. The first two have passed away.
Before passing, however, they were able to
see the historical building recapture its initial
glory.
Responsibility for the project of maintaining and restoring the church was undertaken
by the secretary of the Board of Directors of the Onassis Foundation and architect,
George Zambelas, who coordinated the technical team: architectural engineer,
George Tsoutsouras, civil engineer, Panagiotis Panagiotopoulous, lighting specialist,
Kimonas Hoursoglou and, in the final phase, horology specialist, Theodoros Kotsakis.
During the exemplary maintenance and restoration project, Mr. George Zambelas
spoke with "ΑΩ”. |
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| ΑΩ: What
was the most difficult part of the undertaking? |
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| G.Z.: The most
difficult part was the maintenance and restoration
of the facing because those kinds of tiny constructions,
frames, decorative elements, decorative slabs, with
cracks, decay and detachments was not work that Egyptian
contractors were familiar with. So, we needed to
sensitise the contractor and teach him to work qualitatively.
Here, congratulations are in order for the architect,
George Tsoutsouras, who inspired the contractor to
try to do something special. This was a definite
success and so was the fact that we were able to
implement the project in-line with our original budget. |
| ΑΩ: How
much did the project cost? |
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| G.Z.: It cost
around 600,000 Euro. Of course, daily wages are much
lower in Egypt. If the same project was being implemented
in Athens, it would cost three times more and reach
1.5 - 1.8 million Euro. In a building project, the
most difficult thing is to establish a balance, the "golden
divide",
between quality and budget. The cost estimate cannot
be limitless; nor can you cut corners because it
will have repercussions on the quality of the project.
You can understand, however, that if we spend excessive
amounts on one project, we will deprive resources
from another of the Foundation's public benefit
projects. |
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Repair of the upper zone of the steeple tympana |
| Α.Ω.: What
peculiarities did this project have? Was it similar
to the restoration of the building in Nafplio that
housed a branch of the National Gallery? |
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| G.Z.: This was
a completely different project. In Alexandria, more
careful maintenance and restoration were carried
out, as would befit a building of monumental character.
In Nafplio, the intervention was fundamental. The
building was a landmark and in very bad condition
and our basic obligation was to restore the outer
facing to its original form. The entire interior
was renovated and its use altered |
| Α.Ω.: How
serious were the structural problems? |
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| G.Z.:
The largest problem was the structural support
of the two steeples. Because they were added afterwards,
they had been built with bearing structure from
reinforced concrete and were erected on top of
the stonework. This kind of incompatibility usually
creates problems. The static carrier in the area
of the steeples was stabilised; cracks were repaired;
the oxidised reinforced steel bars were repaired;
metallic constructions (sheets and beams) were
added; pre-stressed forceps (namely, iron rails
that tauten to make the structure more durable)
were put in place to better secure the existing
structure; concrete was used on the stonework to
fill in holes and cracks; and reinforced veneers
were also constructed (namely, plaster reinforced
with more cement and a coating of Nevrometal and
other materials). |
| ΑΩ: Was
special care given to the hagiographies? |
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| G.Z.: The hagiographies
had not been destroyed. They were cleaned by specialised
maintainers. From the beginning, the artistic décor
in the church, as well as the special techniques
and the imitation marble, were implemented following
thorough testing regarding their compatibility and
verity with the colours and patterns of the originals.
In the temple, worn-out parts were replaced, new
gold plating was done, and maintenance was carried
out on the icons. |
| ΑΩ: What
other work was carried out in the church? |
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G.Z.: Another
large part of the work was the replacement and waterproofing
of the roof covering. This was very important because
rainwater was getting in and destroying the church's
ceiling. A new covering was built using metallic
sheets, which were sealed underneath with tar membrane.
Further, particular importance was given to the
church's lighting. The chandeliers were enhanced
and, based on a lighting study, Kimonas Hoursoglou
designed new lighting fixtures in order to accentuate
the interior décor and provide ample light throughout
the church. The entire wiring network had to be
changed and a fire detection system was put in
place. This was also carried out on the exterior
of the church and courtyard in order to highlight
the aesthetics of the building.
Repair work was also carried out on the clock,
which was a miracle of technique in its time and
built by the famous firm that constructed Westminster's
clock in London, the well-known Big Ben. It is
an enormous apparatus, almost two metres in size,
which works with makeweights. Its repair was supervised
by the horologer, Theodoros Kotsakis. From bad
interventions and oversights in the past, pieces
were missing, which he requested from the manufacturer
in England. He went to a museum in Greenwich where
he found designs of the parts that were missing
and he built them and put them in place. That's
the true meaning of "restoration". We
could have put a new electronic mechanism in its
place.
Finally, the surrounding area was reconstructed.
New cement tiles were put down in the courtyard
and not only that, but the neighbouring buildings,
which belong to the Community of Alexandria, were
maintained and painted. |
| Α.Ω.: Which
part of the church do you like best? |
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| G.Z.: The interior
of the church, the astounding décor, the feeling
it expires. The hagiographies, the amazing stained
glass - which we didn't touch; we simply replaced
some pieces that were broken. The size of the church
is also impressive; it overlooks the city of Alexandria
like the Pharos of Orthodoxy. |
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Design of the front of the church according to the 1927 renovation proposal |
| Α.Ω.: Did
you find the image of modern Alexandria disappointing? |
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| G.Z.: That city
has room for development. In what concerns the past,
the church, as well as the Hellenic cemetery with
its amazing sculptures and the buildings of the Hellenic
Community, demonstrate the potency and cultural level
of the Greeks who lived there in the past. Those
people returned to Greece and contributed to the
development of our country. The development of the
city is now up to the Egyptians. |
| Α.Ω.: How
do you see the future of Alexandria in terms of
the future of the Greek element there? |
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G.Z.: I think
that projects like the restoration of the Church
of Evangelismos give a breath of confidence and courage
to Greeks who are active in the area to continue
with greater enthusiasm. Therefore, I consider initiatives
like that of the Foundation to be particularly important.
The Governor of Alexandria, Mohammed Mahgoub, was
very positive toward the project of restoring the
Church of Evangelismos and he helped us overcome
bureaucratic procedures that could have put the brakes
on the project. This is an example of how things
move ahead when processes are simplified and there
is a spirit of friendship and vision. The Egyptians
want the Greeks and that is evident from their help
in relation to the Patriarchate of Alexandria.
In Egypt, there is room for development and a favourable
climate for Greek businesspeople. We will have
to face Egypt with the same logic as we are investing
in the Balkans and let's not forget that Greece
is closer to Egypt than any other European country.There
are also the historical ties. I think that the
preconditions are positive for perhaps a revival
of the Greek element in Alexandria and Egypt, in
general |
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| Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation | Tel.
+30 210 3713000 | Fax. +30 210 3713013 | Email: pubrel@onassis.gr |
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