Theatrum Sacrum – ÖJAB Haus Johannesgasse, measures taken 2016–2019


THE FIRST SECTION OF THE HALLWAY HAS BEEN FULLY RESTORED.

The Theatrum Sacrum is a unique Baroque collection of religious scenes in the former Ursuline convent and present-day student dormitory at Johannesgasse 8 (in Vienna’s first district).

In 2016, following the Federal Monuments Office’s renovation of a “sample niche” and BIG’s renovation of the first three display cabinets, a special Wi-Fi network was installed in order to monitor the humidity in selected niches with the help of data loggers and to adjust the humidification system if necessary. Movement sensors and an alarm system are also planned, with the aim of protecting the joint undertaking and the investments made to preserve the Theatrum Sacrum.

These general measures paved the way for a second restoration phase, which was commissioned by BIG in 2016. The newly renovated niches show Saint Stanislaus Kostka (1550–1568), Saint Francis Xavier (1506–1552) and Saint Rosalia (1130–1166).

The sculptures underwent conservation and restoration measures: First, the Japan paper was removed, thereby freeing up the surfaces so that they could be cleaned, broken parts glued back on and loose sections fastened. Then the sculptures were retouched, the joint areas of reattached parts reintegrated, and finally a protective sealant applied. The painting in the background – two painted wood panels and the painting in the embrasure – were cleaned, cracks filled, small holes and abrasions repaired, and gouache paints were used to retouch the work. Finally, the visible paintings in the niches were aesthetically reintegrated, missing sections were filled in and then retouched with matching colours.

Thanks to a subsidy from the Federal Monuments Office, the restoration of two more niches on the second floor commenced in 2017. The cabinet showing Saint Anthony of Padua (1195–1231) displayed signs of marked water damage. The second cabinet depicting Saint Francis of Assisi (1182–1226) was restored. The restoration measures and materials were largely the same as those used by the Federal Monuments Office to restore the sample niche (Saint Francis Borgia) in 2013.

This work was finished in early 2019, which means that one side of the hallway on the second floor is now completed.