A major milestone in Sts Peter and Paul's Cathedral's restoration has been reached with the return of the Stations of the Cross.
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Over the past year, former Goulburn man, Adam Godijn and his team at International Conservation Services have been restoring the 14 framed Stations as part of the Cathedral's wider restoration project.
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Restoration committee chair, Dr Ursula Stephens, said the artworks returned in all their glory on Friday.
"Seeing them back in situ is so exciting and it's such an opportunity to see them in detail," she said.
"They're 3D in a way they weren't before. The more you look the more you see and I think people will be completely blown away by them."
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Mr Godijn, the head of conservation (fine and decorative arts) with International Conservation Services, was initially charged with cleaning and repairing damage to the plaster-cast Stations.
But once his team started, they discovered under a microscope that they were originally painted. Specialists slowly uncovered more and eventually set about researching and cross-matching the paint to fully restore them. Historians were consulted and a peer review completed as part of the process.
Dr Stephens said the painstaking work was a "story that had to be told."
The Stations were thought to have been crafted in France in the 1860s or 1870s. The Cathedral was believed to have acquired them in the 1920s/30s.
The work beyond cleaning was not originally budgeted but following a fundraising appeal, parishioners sponsored the $15,000 cost of restoring each Station. Plaques acknowledging this will be placed at a later date.
On Friday, it was all hands to the wheel as Canberra-based firm, Art Up, reinstated the Stations on the Cathedral walls.
Director, Adam Herbst said brackets were specially made for the lift, precise measurements taken and each one fixed with four brackets and felt strips.
"I've been looking at this job for about eight months and there's been a lot of discussion with International Conservation Services on how we'd attack it," he said.
"...The Stations of the Cross are truly amazing objects without even considering the religious ritual side of them."
The Stations are just one aspect of a $10 million restoration which will be opened to the public on November 30. Archbishop Christopher Prowse will celebrate a Mass at 11am, also commemorating the Old Cathedral's 150th anniversary. Four bishops, including Pat Power, and other clergy from throughout the diocese will concelebrate.
Some 500 people are expected to attend the Mass. This will be followed by a community gathering in the presbytery grounds, which project workers will also attend.
On Friday, November 18 a thanksgiving dinner, hosted by Archbishop Prowse, will be held at the Mercure, Goulburn will celebrate the anniversary.
Dr Stephens said a series of events would follow, marking what had been a "massive effort" by everyone involved.
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