Common issues regarding the churches of Banat

Abstract

Banat is a south-western region of Romania in which all villages contain orthodox churches. The churches in question were constructed during the end of the 18th century – beginning of the 19th. It is important mentioning that the religious activity was uninterrupted during this time. The churches are located in the following villages: Poganesti, Voiteg, Zgribesti, Balint, Sanmihaiu Roman, Hezeris, Unip, Capat, Saravale, Hodoni, Igris, Babsa, Ficatari, jebel, Visma, Cadar, Hodos, Olosag. The aim of the study is to identify the primary issues, deteriorations, which became apparent with time and present during evaluation and identifying the cause of this. The observations were made during 2022-2023. The majority of the orthodox churches from Banat consist of a central area (naos), sometimes accompanied by transepts on both sides, a sanctuary in the eastern part and a bell tower in the western part. The primary structural degradation consists of cracks in the walls, the arches and domes. The causes of all this are unequal leaning of the walls, uneven weight exerted by the structure, foundations with insufficient width and depth, and the effects of earthquakes from the past. In addition, there is an overall exfoliation and peeling of the plaster, also excessive humidity among the lower part of the walls. This has happened due to capillary ascent of water and the frosting-defrosting process. Most of the time, improper interventions and the use of cementbased materials have accelerated the process of deterioration. Sometimes, local destructions of the roof and wooden extremities are present because of ageing and lack of maintenance of the roof’s cover, the effects can be noticed on the sheets of metal or ceramic tiles. All of this inevitably leads to a partial or complete destruction of internal mural pictures, often times of great artistic value. The major conclusion represents a centralization of the damaging factors and the proposal of few measures of mitigating the effects of them.