TEMPLE OF RESTORATION KAZAN

Irina Aksenova-Nugaeva, member of the Union of artists and of the Union of architects and author of many projects, gives her best to the restoration of churches, mosques and theaters. She is also the director of what is called Workshop for Arts, Reconstruction and Architecture. Its abbreviation, as it is spelled in Russian, stands for «temple». And it is indeed a Temple of Restoration

TEMPLE OF RESTORATION KAZAN

Standing tall and proud under blue skies, by the blue stream of a big river, Kazan shines with its golden domes and spires. Crescents, crosses and... cranes mark its skyline. After a thousand years, the city is getting rid of shabby quarters, builds new blocks and rediscovers the beauty and charm of old fancy traders mansions that look like brand new.

This ever-young city and its dynamic population of one million enjoy the new spring in their history and share a happy anticipation of an exciting future. Very often, they forget how strongly the presence of the past is felt in this town. But some people don't because they have it in their hearts.

The beauty of a rose is in its many uniquely shaped petals. The beauty of a town is in the many historical styles, closely held together, like the petals of a rose. To re-build and preserve the town, what is to go and what is to stay? What has more value? What petals must be left if the flower is to keep its original beauty? How to reconstruct what was destroyed by men or time? Archeologists, architects and specialists of rehabilitation have this professional understanding of things past and present, and they see and appreciate the beauty of all styles, be it a simple log house, the ruins of an old church or the rich oriental paintings on the walls dating back to the 50s of last century. For them, they are all part of art and of history, all part of Kazan. We admire the end product; they know what it takes to achieve it. We enjoy beauty; they regret what had to be lost for this beauty to be seen again.

The mosque of Kul-Shaarif is a gem with its eight domes. It has been built very recently in the center of the Kremlin, where another mosque, a legend in its own right, stood until it was destroyed, to commemorate the defenders of the town who fell during the siege by Ivan the Terrible. The Kremlin, singled out as a monument by UNESCO, was built, as it stands today, after Kazan was taken over, and its architecture was strongly influenced by Russian traditions. The dome of the Orthodox Annunciation Temple is the other «top of the head» of the Kremlin that is now carefully rehabilitated. However, to create the necessary environment for the Kremlin to be seen as the heart of the inner city, several blocks of buildings of XVIII and XIX centuries had to be razed to the ground at the foot of the ramparts.

Today, Kazan has more than seven hundred buildings singled out for their unique architecture, of which about one hundred are on the federal list of national monuments. The Kremlin, the Cannon Court, the Cathedral of Peter and Paul, the Traders Yard, the Alexander Shops, all are being restored to preserve their diverse styles and beauty. Moreover, there are many buildings that do not have individual historic value but must be preserved to recreate the historical background and the spirit of the town. This is where things become tricky. A decision must be made which ones of them will be kept. How to assess correctly what is best? Sometimes, it is so much easier and so much faster to simply demolish and build from scratch. Thank God and thank Allah the city is going to celebrate its 1000th anniversary, and the authorities have became aware of the importance of rehabilitation. It has again prestige and priority. But it cannot be done in a hurry. It cannot be treated as an emergency, and needs steady financing.

To reconstruct, piece by piece, the complete design of a building, a research as sophisticated as an investigation must be done. One such study convinced Irina Aksenova-Nugaeva that a bell tower must stand next to the dome of the Nikolski church in Nikolskoie Russkoie, a village close to Kazan. She had a difficult time making sure that the construction workers on the site will do all the right things. This is indeed a problem: with all the construction projects going on in Tatarstan, finding good professional teams of workers has become a difficult task. She had to fight to make her point and prevent a chapel standing next to a white and blue church from being painted a nasty reddish. There were inevitable sacrifices in the process, but today, Nikolskoie Russkoie has a beautiful church again!

The rehabilitation of the Opera House is another big project. It was finished soon after World War II, when funds and materials were scarce, and decorations were made with whatever could be found. In a theater with 1000 seats, the power grid was for only 60 Wt. Full reconstruction and refurbishment is a pressing need. So for three years now, Aksenova-Nugaeva and her experts are planning how to re-create everything that was originally planned by Ismaguil Gainutdinov, including mosaics on the floors and painted ceilings, and how to achieve the miracle he was dreaming of: to create inside a feeling of a new spring coming. They have already developed designs of exotic birds and flowers, of lamps shaped like flowers, of majestic doors with carved wooden applications. They will also have to re-design the cafeteria in the solemn style of Stalin's architects, to reconstruct the lay-out of the right wing of the building and to decorate the big entrance hall.

The country, the republic and the city need these experts because the time has come to realize that history and modern times are like one. Like the petals of a flower. Like centuries old prayers that will remain forever in the air in the temples.

Aleksandra LAVROVA