Uspenski Cathedral domes to be given a new golden coat

The first of the "flames" to be lifted back in October

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By Anna-Leena Pyykkönen in Helsinki
     
      At least for visitors to the city, the red-brick Uspenski Orthodox Cathedral is among the principal Helsinki sights.
      Anyone visiting the capital recently will possibly have noticed that something is missing: one of the trademark domes was removed around 18 months ago for restoration, and it is currently resting on the floor of a factory hall in the Helsinki district of Kyläsaari.
      Before the dome was given a new golden coating, the hollow insides were examined and found to be in an advanced state of decay. They were replaced using stainless steel, and the copper coating also had to be replaced. A similar clean-up job is in prospect for the other twelve domes.
     
The dome presently approaching the end of its refurbishing is 170 centimetres in diameter. By itself it looks quite small, but by no means unimpressive. It is decorated with a small orb, and a crucifix crowns the whole.
      The entire structure is approximately three metres high.
      This first pilot-project dome will soon be completed, and if all goes well it should be lifted back onto the roof of the church at the end of October. The experience gained from this restoration job will then be used to consider how to go forward with the other twelve, and the contract will be put out to tender.
     
The smaller domes can probably be detached and lifted down for repair elsewhere, but the work on the largest of them will have to be done in situ, at quite a considerable height above the ground.
      "A pretty tough exercise, whoever gets to do it", says master-gilder Harri Virtanen, who is currently at work on the test-dome.
      The master-gilder and his assistant Pekka Kilpeläinen have already covered half of the surface of the dome with 24-carat gold leaf. It shines and glows like a flame. The difference between this and the old, dimmed surface is like night and day.
     
The term "flame" is apposite here. "The first thing you should remember that for the Orthodox faithful these are no 'onion domes'. The domes are supposed to symbolise candle-flames", notes Virtanen.
      The flames in turn symbolise prayer and are a strongly visible image of the church to the outside world.
      By the time that all the "flames" have been gilded afresh, the sight of the building perched on a rock in Katajanokka will be rather different from now. The roof will be ablaze with a sea of gold flame.
      "Gold is the only metal there is that can take the city's pollutants. The Uspenski gets battered by the salty winds off the sea and by the ever-present emissions from city traffic and the ships in the South Harbour. In that respect, the location down there is about as bad as you could ever ask for."
     
Gilding is a laborious business, and must be done by hand. The copper exterior of the dome is painted, and then adhesive is brushed on to the surface. Pieces of gold leaf, 8 cms square, are then attached. The gold leaf is 0.0001mm thick: one ten-thousandth of a millimetre.
      The surface of a medium-sized dome such as this one requires a total of around 2,200 small squares, but the gold in these amounts to no more than 45 grams by weight. In fact, not much more than 300 grams of the metal will be required to cover all thirteen domes. This does not by any means make it a cheap process, however.
      The pieces of gold leaf are polished carefully with a cloth, to ensure that all the creases come out. The smoother the surface, the better it will withstand use, explains Virtanen.
     
Gold is an extremely malleable material and it can be rolled out to cover quite extraordinary areas at infinitesimal thicknesses. "In the old days they used to say that if you had a gold sovereign, you could gild an entire horse and buggy", laughs Virtanen.
      Harri Virtanen is a master-gilder in the second generation, and one of only six professionals in Finland in this craft. When he had to give an example of his workmanship for his final diploma, a Swiss expert needed to be called in to grade the work.
      For a man in his trade, the restoration of a dome like this is a rare treat. "I take my hat off to the Orthodox congregation here for having embarked on this. This is a valuable cultural mission."
      Virtanen also hopes that when the time comes, the contract for the other domes will go to some Finnish craftsman, in order that the professional skills will not die out. According to Fr. Veikko Purmonen of the Helsinki Orthodox Congregation, it is probable that the offers to tender will be extended to include Russian artisan gilders.
     
The congregation has already begun to collect funds for the restoration of the domes, which is estimated to cost around EUR 800,000.
      Time is of the essence, as a change in the tax laws from the end of this year will make such requests for donations a good deal more difficult.
      Money is to be sought from private individuals and companies. An appeal has also been launched towards the Ministry of Education and the City of Helsinki.
     
     
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print 24.9.2004

More on this subject:
 Thirteen domes to designate Christ and the Apostles

Links:
  Four images of the exterior of the church (click on NEXT)
  Several more pictures from a travel blog, also showing the ornate interior of the church

ANNA-LEENA PYYKKÖNEN / Helsingin Sanomat
anna-leena.pyykkonen@hs.fi