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Archaeologists are preparing to unveil a total of 600 square meters at the church site. tide. Currently, about 400 square meters M. meter. According to the project manager, dr. Raimonda Nabažaitė, delved into the life of the church, made himself known a little below the foundation and floor level.
Only the foundations of the church have survived
According to R. Nabažaitė, he is expected to reveal the entire perimeter of the church and find out what the state of the foundations is next year.
“We will try to collect as many architectural finishes as possible, interior and exterior details, which will allow us to adapt them to certain solutions during the reconstruction of the church.
Only the foundations of the church have survived. After the demolition of the church during World War II and its final dismantling in 1946-1947, everything was leveled, the architectural details were removed, ”said R. Nabažaitė.
According to the project manager, the research was able to learn about the different foundation levels. The main objective of archaeologists when investigating part of the tower this year is to discover the tower itself and part of the side walls.
“We noticed that the foundations are well below the level of the cemetery and the graves. The cultural layer of the stratigraphic shows great destruction. A major explosion likely occurred at the site during WWII. The foundation is demolished, a huge cavity has formed, which was then filled in with bricks and other building materials.
Photo by Mindaugas Drąsutis
The pedestal could not be detected. Only internal elements were found. Two internal columns were found. They allow you to determine exactly where the floor level was. The entire exhibition is related to the phase of the church from 1706 to the fire of 1854. After the fire, the very foundations of the church were adapted to the pre-war church architecture, ”said R. Nabažaitė.
The biggest discovery
Although archaeologists have not yet discovered many objects, they are very pleased with the discovery of the engineering facility, which is associated with the 1925. renovation of the church’s heating system.
“We know from historical sources that gas heating has been replaced by circulating air heating. We have discovered a circular engineering facility with an internal floor channel and a grate that appears to have been used specifically for heating the new church. How the system worked is difficult to judge.
Historical research will be needed. But in the whole context of the research, this is an interesting new discovery. Probably discovering the rest of the area, we should also detect the analog axis of the system on the other side. No signs of combustion. Maybe there was a boiler in that place. According to the bricks, this is a find from the beginning of the 20th century, ”said the archaeologist.
By studying the layer inside the church, under the floor, archaeologists were able to discover the 20th century. second half of coins, home-related finds: ceramics, tiles. However, according to R. Nabažaitė, the finds, except for the coins, are not related to the period of the church’s existence.
“It should be noted that there are enough large bricks in the foundation of the church. We know from historical sources that the foundations were made of Gotland stone, brick and lime. Bricks, by size, from the 16th-17th centuries.
A valuable find is the window handle. It was that period. We found coffin handles. This time, both the introduction of electricity and the heating system, the graves below were raised. This is documented even in the local press at that time.
I also had to mention the investigation of the German city church from the 16th-17th centuries. Those bricks likely came from the first church. Excavation at that time also revealed a foundation level with no wall debris. It can be assumed that the bricks were selected and used for the construction of the church, ”said R. Nabažaitė.
Photo by Mindaugas Drąsutis
Archaeologists have also been able to find a detail of the tile, an interior item, presumably a window sill. Found in 1931. power cord inserted. Slate roofs were also found, indicating that after the great fire, the pre-war church had a completely different roof than before.
The investigation also revealed the remains of a fire in the big city: many tiles, roofs, church bricks and pieces of glass were discovered.
I will not touch the remains
During archaeological excavations, archaeologists have also discovered the outlines of grave pits, which testify to the level of the cemetery reached. Project manager R. Nabažaitė stated that further investigation is not yet planned.
“If next year’s results confirm that the condition of the foundation is adequate to build a church on the same foundation, then we would try to avoid these studies.
The condition of the foundation is not bad. So much so that it is different in different places. The worst situation is where the tower was bombed. In other places, the condition of the foundations is quite good, ”said R. Nabažaitė.
The project manager recalled that in the past Klaipeda was wet, in some places there was unstable soil. Therefore, when constructing large buildings in such places, a grid was installed – piles up to three meters deep with a certain beam design system. And only then were brick foundations built on top.
information
After the Second World War, the demolition of St. The rebuilding of the Church of St. John is an idea that has long been matured by the Evangelical Lutheran community of Klaipeda, which is gradually gaining shape. 2020 After the Seimas decision was declared a project of state importance, a second breath was gained to initiate specific works, the first of which was archaeological research. On the old St. John’s Church site, the research is carried out by the Institute of Archeology of the Baltic Region of Klaipėda University. intensively researched St. John’s Church predecessor (16th-18th centuries) across Turgaus Street.
During 2020-2021 it is planned to implement the first stage of the archaeological investigation, revealing the objective horizon of the existence of the church: the perimeter of the walls (foundations), clarifying the state of the foundations, collecting the surviving architectural elements and delivering the material to designers.
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