Joint UNESCO/ICOMOS mission to help enhance emergency preparedness of the Saint Sophia Cathedral complex, Kyiv
From 28 July to 7 August 2024, a joint UNESCO/ICOMOS mission on Advanced documentation of the state of conservation and emergency preparedness planning for the Saint-Sophia Cathedral complex took place in Kyiv, Ukraine. 4 ICOMOS International experts participated in the mission to share their knowledge on documentation methodology and risk preparedness.
Background and purpose of the mission
The activity took place within the framework of the UNESCO/Japan Funds-in-Trust Project ‘Support for Ukraine in culture and education through UNESCO; Emergency response for World Heritage and cultural property: damage assessment and protection’. It was carried out as a follow-up to the UNESCO/ICOMOS/ICCROM inception training on Documentation for State of Conservation for World Heritage Properties and Disaster Risk Management which took place in July 2023 and a series of missions and online workshops held from October 2023 to provide guidance, support and methodological tools to improve the state of conservation of World Heritage and Tentative List sites in Ukraine.
ICOMOS participation and programme
The mission aimed to provide advanced documentation capacity development focused on the Saint Sophia Cathedral complex, which is a component of the World Heritage property ‘Kyiv: Saint-Sophia Cathedral and Related Monastic Buildings, Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra’, as well as to offer guidance on the preparation of a risk preparedness plan for the property.
It consisted of 10 days of training sessions in advanced documentation techniques and risk preparedness, followed by on-site advanced documentation of the Metropolitan’s Residence and the Bell Tower within the St. Sophia Cathedral complex, and post-production of the recorded material.
ICOMOS Board member and ICORP Vice-President Zeynep Gul Ünal (Türkiye) participated in the mission together with ICOMOS CIPA Heritage Documentation Honorary President Mario Santana Quintero (Canada/Belgium), CIPA expert Victor Manuel Mota Ferreira (Portugal) and ICOMOS CIVVIH expert Miquel Reina Ortiz (Canada).
The Ukrainian heritage professionals, which included staff from the National Conservation Area of Saint Sophia of Kyiv and the National Preserve ‘Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra’, were trained in digital photography and photogrammetry techniques, have been offered analytical tools for existing technical documentation of site elements and assessment of on-site safety measures and procedures, as well as guidance on preparing emergency preparedness plans. The mission aimed to develop the capacity and understanding of the critical importance of recording the physical characteristics of historic structures and landscapes, particularly for a World Heritage property, for preventive maintenance, monitoring and conservation, to the higher standards of ICOMOS as an Advisory Body to the World Heritage Committee. In addition, a complete set of advanced 3D technical documentation of the site elements will be prepared by the ICOMOS team in collaboration with UNESCO for the Ukrainian national authorities.
ICOMOS expresses gratitude to Leica for providing technical support to the ICOMOS team.