“Armenian Pastoral”, a 1973 mural by famed Armenian artist Minas Avetisyan that was destroyed in the 1988 earthquake is being painstakingly restored under an agreement signed by the cultural ministries of Italy and Armenia.

The Italian and Armenian experts restoring the mural are being led by Fabrizio Iacopini a lecturer at the Palazzo Spinelli Art and Restoration Institute in Florence and a renowned restorer in his own right.

The material used to put the pieces of the wall mural back together is a mysterious Italian concoction made by boiling bull bones until the right consistency is reached.

Armenian Pastoral: Minas Avetisyan mural currently kept in the canteen of the former electro-technical plant of Gyumri

The Armenia student restorers joke and say it’s like khash (a meal made of boiled pig or lambs feet and other innards).

The teams work all day in close proximity and a lively exchange of ideas and chatter fills the work room. It turns out that the Armenian students want to visit Italy to hone their skills, while the Italians want to remain in Armenia.

Hasmik Hakobyan: Panos Terlimezyan State College of Fine Arts Student

Italian restorer Philip Morelli tells his Armenian counterparts that Armenians are great hosts and his Italian colleagues chime in that “Armenia is out of this world” and that they love the food and hospitality.

For some of the Armenian students selected by the Minas Avetisyan Foundation to take part in the project, it’s their first time actually restoring a damaged art work; let alone one that embodies such artistic and cultural significance. It’s a golden opportunity for them to contribute to the restoration and gain valuable professional experience.

Philip Kron Morelli (Filip Chron Morelli): Italian art restorer

Anahit Galstyan, who studies at the Yerevan State University’s Faculty of History (Art Division), says she found out about the competition to participate two days after the application deadline.

“I applied anyway but didn’t think I had any chance. But I was accepted. I was thrilled,” she says.

Hasmik Hakobyan, a student at the Panos Terlimezyan Art College, says she’s so impressed by the skills of the Italian restorers that she wants to continue her education in Italy.

“I’ve always been attracted to art restoration but the field sadly has no future in Armenia,” says Hasmik.

Davit Saribekyan: Gevoryan Theological Seminary Student

Another member of the team that arrived from Italy is Davit Saribekyan, a student at the Gevorgyan Seminary in Armenia. Catholicos Garegin II is sponsoring his education at the Florence Restoration Institute where Fabrizio Iacopini is one of his teachers.

“In 1966 a flood hit Florence and many works were damaged and in need of restoration. Many schools specializing in mural and fresco art were opened. They differed greatly from those dating back to the 1800s,” says Saribekyan.

Maria Kiara Pinna (Maria Chiara Pinna): Italian art restorer

The seminary student says that there are many murals in Armenian needing immediate care. “Many such iconic works now being kept in churches also need preserving, Davit says. “You can say that I am studying at the best such institute in the world. I have come to realize what we have in Armenia and what have been our deficiencies. The institute is a fabulous place to learn but I will definitely return to Armenia.”

To date, “Birth of Toros Roslin”, “Spinning Thread”, “Meeting” and “Next to a Khachkar” are some of  Minas Avetisyan’s murals that have been restored.

Top Photo: Anahit Kalstyan