International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property
In Central Türkiye's Cappadocia region lies a complex of tucked-away cave churches carved from volcanic rock in the Göreme Valley. The most famous is the 10th-century Buckle Church (Tokali Kilise), revered for its illustrious Byzantine mural paintings.

Restoration of Byzantine Cave Church Frescoes, Türkiye 1977

In Central Türkiye's Cappadocia region lies a complex of tucked-away cave churches carved from volcanic rock in the Göreme Valley. The most famous is the 10th-century Buckle Church (Tokali Kilise), revered for its illustrious Byzantine mural paintings.

Tunisia: Mihrab of the Kairouan Great Mosque, 1973

Tunisia: Mihrab of the Kairouan Great Mosque, 1973

This is a photograph of the upper part of the mihrab of the Great Mosque of Kairouan, a World Heritage site since 1988. It is a close-up of the half-dome, which is made of curved wood covered with thick plaster and painted with a complex vegetal motif - a common theme in Islamic art and architecture. The image was taken in 1973 by Franco Rigamonti and is part of a series of photographs documenting the restoration work carried out on the mihrab in...

Resource of the Month October 2023 - Laura Mora stands in front of Mayan monument

Mexico: Chaan Maun's Stela 1, Bonampak, 1968

In this photo from 1968, you see Laura Mora, a famed painting and mural painting conservator, in front of Stela 1, a Mesoamerican carved monument (stela), in Bonampak, Mexico. This relief area depicts an earth monster holding up the ruler Chaan Muan II, whose feet are visible at the top. The entire Stela is one of the tallest of the Mayan period at 20 feet (6.1 metres).

RoM August 2023

Romania: Mural painting of the Humor Monastery, Tomb Chamber, 1972

The Humor Monastery is one of the best-preserved of the eight Painted Churches of Moldavia – a World Heritage site located in Romania. These churches were built between the 15th and 16th centuries and are most famous for their well-preserved and colourful external frescoes that are inspired by Byzantine art. At the request of the Romanian Department of Historic Monuments under the auspices of its Director, Dr Vasile Dragut, ICCROM undertook three...

Gael de Guichen and Director General Webber Ndoro sign agreement officially transferring de Guichen's archive of RE-ORG materials to the ICCROM Archives

Gaël de Guichen donates RE-ORG archive to ICCROM

On 14 July 2023, we were honoured to officially receive a generous donation of RE-ORG materials to the ICCROM Archives. Special Advisor to the Director-General and a precursor of the RE-ORG Method, Gaël de Guichen, donated more than a decade’s worth of archival materials related to RE-ORG. On this particular occasion, Mr de Guichen and ICCROM Director-General Webber Ndoro signed the agreement that...

View our archives online through our new portal! 

View our archives online through our new portal!

We are pleased to announce the launch of the ICCROM Records and Archives web portal, a new platform providing access to our Digital Collections and ICCROM's historical archive inventory.

Resource of the Month

Egypt: Temple of Queen Nefertari, Abu Simbel, 1962

ICCROM has recently received a donation of valuable records produced by Paolo and Laura Mora, two internationally renowned Italian conservators. This photograph, taken by Paolo Mora in 1962, depicts the Temple of Queen Nefertari at Abu Simbel before its transfer to a new location with the start of the Aswan High Dam project.

Family of legendary conservators donate samples to ICCROM Archives 

Family of legendary conservators donate samples to ICCROM Archives 

One of the ICCROM Archives’ largest sample collections is the Mora Samples Archive, donated by famous conservators Laura and Paolo Mora for teaching and research purposes. Many of the samples are from world-renowned heritage places, such as the Tomb of Nefertari, where sampling is no longer allowed. The collection currently includes 1 200 samples collected from the 1960s to the 1980s from heritage...

RoM April 2023

Italy: A princess, a dragon and a knight in shining armour (Fresco of Saint George in Venzone Cathedral, Friuli)

Once upon a time, there lived a man called Saint George who served as a soldier in the Roman army. Legend has it that he heroically defeated a fire-breathing dragon to save a princess from her castle. This iconography was beautifully illustrated in the 14th century in a fresco within the Venzone Cathedral of Sant’Andrea Apostolo in Friuli – a northeast Italian region bordering Austria, Slovenia and the Adriatic Sea.

Ethiopia: Detail of angel ceiling, Debre Berhan Selassie Church, Gondar

Ethiopia: Detail of angel ceiling, Debre Berhan Selassie Church, Gondar

For February’s resource, our destination is Ethiopia, famed for its spectacular natural sites and distinctive cultural heritage extending deep into the past. The country has an abundance of important historic sites, including significant ancient churches.