Joint UNESCO/ICOMOS mission to L'viv region to provide assistance in advanced documentation and emergency preparedness
From 28 October to 2 November, a joint UNESCO/ICOMOS mission on Advanced documentation of the state of conservation and emergency preparedness planning for the Church of St. George (Drohobych) and the Church of the Descent of the Holy Spirit (Potelych), components of the World Heritage property ‘Wooden Tserkvas of the Carpathian Region in Poland and Ukraine’, took place in the L’viv region. 7 experts from ICOMOS participated in the mission.
Background and purpose of the mission
This activity was the final part of the series of joint missions and online workshops carried out in Ukraine since July 2023 as part 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 followed a recent mission to assist in the development of advanced documentation on the state of conservation and emergency preparedness planning of the World Heritage property ‘Kyiv: Saint-Sophia Cathedral and Related Monastic Buildings, Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra’, with a specific focus on the Saint Sophia complex component, which took place in Kyiv in July 2024.
ICOMOS participation and programme
This mission aimed to provide technical assistance in advanced documentation for emergency preparedness to the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications and local stakeholders responsible for the management of the World Heritage property ‘Wooden Tserkvas of the Carpathian Region in Poland and Ukraine’, more specifically for the Church of St. George in the village of Drohobych and the Church of the Descent of the Holy Spirit in the village of Potelych, both located in the L’viv region.
The activity started with consultations and assessments, followed by advanced documentation planning, on-site documentation of the 2 site components and post-processing of the recorded material, which UNESCO, in close cooperation with ICOMOS, will later use to produce a methodology/guidance document for the development of an Emergency Preparedness Plan for the 2 churches.
ICOMOS Board member and ICORP Vice-President Zeynep Gül Ünal (Türkiye) participated in the mission along with ICOMOS CIPA Honorary President Mario Santana Quintero (Canada/Belgium), ICOMOS CIVVIH expert Miquel Reina Ortiz (Canada), ICOMOS ISCARSAH expert Stephen Kelley (USA), and ICOMOS Ukraine President Mykola Hayda and expert members Mykola Bevz and Volodymyr Herych.
