Restoration Works

The restoration works of Iliou Melathron began in 1985, one year after the concession of the building to the Ministry of Culture. The main objective was to restore and conserve the building after the deteriorations and damages it had suffered.

The problems encountered by the restoration crew varied. In most places the murals and ceiling paintings were covered by successive layers of thick paint, as well as by wooden and plaster decorative elements or wallpapers. Some surfaces were painted over and some of the original paintings were altered. Nude figures, for instance, were dressed in clothes.

The mosaic floors had suffered various damages (including detachments, loss of tiles and mortar, and creation of cracks and gaps) that had been roughly treated with cement or had been covered with carpets and rugs.

The wooden elements (doors, windows, door-/window-frames and handrails) were often covered with layers of oil paint. Therefore, the original painting, which was imitating wood and marble, was totally erased.

The metal elements (railings, lamps and metal stairs) were also covered with layers of oil paint.

The marble surfaces (stairs, columns, balconies, handrails, pillars) had suffered deteriorations through time (dust, soot, etc.), as well as sugaring on the external surfaces and color changes from the corrosion of metal joints.

The restoration of the murals and ceiling paintings began with the removal of all later elements that were added or painted over, so as to reveal the original surfaces. The process was labor-intensive and time-consuming, due to the thickness of the coating layers.

This was followed by the cleaning of the surfaces and conservation-consolidation of the paintings. Cracks and gaps due to the loss of mortar were filled in, and, finally, aesthetic restoration works were carried out.

The plaster acanthi around the ceiling of each room, which also served as air vents, were uncovered. They were restored in places where there were losses, while the extensively damaged ones were replaced with exact copies.

The mosaic floors were first cleaned of all kinds of sediments, so as to reveal the decorative motifs. Cement fillers were removed and were replaced by appropriate mortar. The joints were cleaned and the lost tiles were replaced.

The wooden elements were once more revealed, the necessary additions were made and they were restored aesthetically following the original imitation of wood and marble.

After being uncovered, the metal elements were also fixed and completed where necessary, while their color rendering was restored, according to the original drawings, photos and descriptions of the building.

The marble surfaces were cleaned of all kinds of sediment, while the deterioration of the colour of the metal joints has been dealt.