International team seeks to save 1,100-year-old Georgian church in Turkey from collapse

An international team from five countries, comprising architects, designers, filmmakers and conservation specialists, is seeking to save an approximately 1,100-year-old Georgian church in north-eastern Turkey that is at risk of collapse.

According to a press release from Spanish architect and project coordinator Tassilo de la Torre Schönborn, Nuka Sakdari Church is in Artvin Province and is the last surviving part of a former monastic complex.

The church stands on a narrow platform on a valley slope in an area inaccessible to vehicles, and part of its stone roof has collapsed. Nikolai Marr photographed the building in 1904, but no complete architectural documentation of the church has yet been produced.

From 7 to 20 October, specialists from France, Italy, Spain, Turkey and Argentina will produce plans, sections and elevations, as well as a site plan, to prepare for repair work.

Documenting the church will be challenging Measurements will be carried out both manually and using technological equipment. The interior will be laser-scanned, while the exterior, which is difficult to survey because of its position on the slope, will be photographed by drone to produce a…