 SITUATED IN THE SMALL TOWN OF BASARABI,

 ON THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY BUCURESTI – CONSTANTA,

AT 20 KM FROM THE BLACK SEA,
 NEAR THE DANUBE-BLACK SEA CANAL, AT THE LIMIT OF A
NATURAL RESERVATION, IN THE CLIFF OF A CHALK STONE
HILL
 - DESCOVERED ACCIDENTALLY IN 1957 WHEN A NEW
QUARRY WAS INTENDED TO BE OPENED,
 A BYZANTINE QUARRY OF ANTIQUE ROMAN TYPE WAS
DISCOVERED; IN THE QUARRY WALLS, SOME HERMITS
HAD CARVED FOUR CHURCHES, A CHAPEL, CAVITIES FOR
TOMBS, GALLERIES AND TUNNELS. REMAINS OF
DWELLINGS WERE FOUND AT THE BOTTOM OF THE
QUARRY HILL.
 IT IS A HERMITS’ SETTLEMENT OF PRIMITIVE CHRISTIAN
CHARACTER, ALTHOUGH RELATIVELY LATE – AN OFICIAL
BISHOP DEPENDING ON THE BYZANTINE HIERARCHY
ALREADY EXISTED IN THE REGION
 ON THE INTERIOR SURFACES OF THE CAVITIES, THE
HERMITS HAVE MADE A LARGE NUMBER OF INSCRIPTIONS,
CROSS SIGNS, SYMBOLIC IMAGES, DIFFERENT
REPRESENTATIONS OF OBJECTS,ANIMALS AND SOME
HUMAN FIGURES OF “ORANTES”.
 THE REGION OF DOBROGEA, SITUATED BETWEEN THE DANUBE AND THE
BLACK SEA, HAD BELONGED TO THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE IN THE VIth
CENTURY, IN THE TIME OF JUSTINIAN; IT HAD TO BE ABANDONED
BECAUSE OF NOMAD BARBARIAN INVASIONS FOR SEVERAL CENTURIES,
AND THEN AGAIN IT BECAME A MILITARY PROVINCE (THEMA MARITIMA) IN
THE Ixth AND THE Xth CENTURIES
 BASARABI IS THE ONLY BYZANTINE QUARRY IN THE REGION,
DISCOVERED TO THIS DAY (SEVERAL MORE ARE KNOWN TO HAVE
EXISTED, FROM DOCUMENTS, BUT THE LOCATIONS ARE NOT YET
KNOWN). THE SOFT CHALK STONE WAS EASY TO CUT; IT WAS USED FOR
BUILDING A LONG WALL ACROSS THE ENTIRE REGION OF DOBROGEA,
FROM THE DANUBE TO THE SEA, FOR PROTECTION AGAINST THE NOMAD
PEOPLES COMING FROM ASIA.
 THIS WALL WAS BUILT BY THE EMPEROR BASIL THE SECOND
“BULGAROCTONOS”.
 THERE ARE SEVERAL WALLS ACROSS DOBROGEA, SOME MADE OF
STONE, OTHERS OF EARTH. THE PEOPLE CALLS THEM GENERALLY
“TRAJAN’S WALL-OR WAVE; SOME DATE FROM THE ROMAN EMPIRE,
OTHERS FROM THE BYZATINE EMPIRE
 THE QUARRY IN BASARABI HAD CO-EXISTED WITH THE HERMITAGE FOR
SOME TIME;
 PHYSICAL
DESCRIPTION
 The rock is amorphous calcium carbonate,
and it is very tnder and sensitive to
humidity, frost, salts etc.
 The physical conditions of the ensemble
are critical to the highest degree. The
degradations are very intense, ant their
starting point is relatively recent,
corresponding generally to the interruption
of the works in 1977. The incised surfaces
have been naturally conserved for about a
thousand years, buried in the soil. The
pathological phenomena are obviously
caused by the extremely negative
concurence of environment and micro-
climatic factors, in the existing protection
buildings, both the provisory and the
deffinitive one.
 The concrete building is not thermally
insulated, it is insufficiently lit and
ventilated. Both buildings have the
tendency of aggravating the climatic
excesses, causing overheating in summer,
ample and frequent frost-and-thaw cycles
in winter, lack of natural light and
ventilation and so on.
 The project aims for a new building for
climatic protection, with a lightweight
structure and a translucent envelope.
 Research is presently carried on for the
conservation of the carved surfaces and
the chalk masses.
 On the surfaces of the
excavations and also on some
exterior surfaces, there exists
a multitude of incisions made
in the soft rock : many of
these are inscriptions of great
value, in several types of
writing, in paleoslavic
language, in kirilic and some
in glagolitic alphabets; other
are in greek, but most of the
inscriptions are in an
enigmatic writing, which still
remains undeciphered. There
are hypothesis of some of
these writings as being the
oldest known texts in early
romanian language.
 A large part of the incisions
are crosses of very different
designs, various symbolic
signs of labyrints, net
patterns, laces and knots, a
viking sailing ship and many
others.
 A third cathegory of the
incisions is represented of
human and animal figures of
many forms and sizes.
Some of the most
impressive human figures
are represented as
"orantes", seen frontally
and with both arms raised.
 Human figures, animals,
birds, symbols and
inscriptions are combined in
the most complex and
amazing relations.
 HUMAN FIGURES (PRIESTS
“ORANTES”)‫‏‬
 REPRESENTATIONS OF
THE HOLY SPIRIT AS A
PIGEON
 HORSES, MOUNTED OR
NOT, STAGS,
 -FABULOUS DRAGONS
INTER-LACED IN PEERS – A
TYPICAL NORTHERN
IMAGE
 AN AMPLE VARIETY OF
CROSS SIGNS IN VARIOUS
SHAPES: “MALTESE”-LIKE,
SPATULATED, GAMMATED,
INSCRIBED IN CIRCLES; ONE
RESEMBLES A MODERN
PROPELLER. THIS VARIETY
MAKES US THINK OF A KIND
OF MEDITATION EXERCISE IN
THE CARVING OF THESE
SIGNS.

 THERE ARE ALSO : A

LABYRINTH-PROBABLY AS
“IMAGO MUNDI”,
CHESSBOARDS, VARIOUS
NETS (RETICULAE) ETC.
 In the first step, the re-constitution of the site,
who had been found crushed to a great extent,
and buried under layers of earth deposits and
chalk sterile. the crushed parts have been re-
composed in reinforced concrete structures.
The fragments have been put toghether as in a
huge three-dimensional puzzle.
 In a second step, a building for protection, in
reinforced concrete, has been realised over a
surface of about 1000 m, a third of the entire
site. It is to be mentioned that the ensemble,
once removed from the earth that had covered
it during a thousand years, had necessarily to
be protected against harsh wheather
conditions, due to the nature both of the rock
and of the climate.
 The most ample part of the site, and the most
valuable for the incised figures and
inscriptions, has remained under a provisory
structure made of wood and asphalt paper,
until today.
 The extraordinary effort that has already been
developped, for the re-constitution and partial
protection of this unique site, asks fot the
continuation of the efforts for protection and
conservation, otherwise all could be lost.
 The provisory structure left on the site after
the interruption of the works in 1977, had been
intented for a period of a couple of years only.
In october 1998, when we started the project
and research works, this huge barrack was
itself heavily damaged, and ample rainwater
infiltrations happened both through the
deteriorated roofs and from the upper part of
the hill. The "barrack" did not let the water to
evaporate properly, as it was not ventilated. It
was completely dark, so heavy biological
damages had developped too.
 THE SITE IS UNIQUE WOLDWIDW
BY SOME OF ITS
CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES :
LATE “PRIMITIVE “ CHRISTIANITY,
IMPORTANT IMAGES AND UN-
DECIPHERED INSCRIPTIONS,
VERY SENSITIVE ROCK IN A
HARSH CLIMATE , EXTREME
PHYSICAL CONDITION. THE
SURFACES WHICH SUPPORT THE
INCISIONS ARE DEGRADING IN
AN ACCELERATING RHYTHM
 OPPORTUNITIES : LOCATION
NEAR THE BLACK SEASHORE, IN
A RICH ARCHAEOLOGICAL
SURROUNDING, IN A NATURAL
UNIQUE AND PROTECTED
CONTEXT, AND IN ONE OF THE
MOST IMPORTANT WINE AREAS
IN THE COUNTRY.
 - CONSERVATION, RESTORATION AND IN-SITU
MUSEUM FACILITY
 1: ELIPSOID
 CLIMATIC SHELTER
 NATURAL CONTROLLED ENVIRONNMENT
 2:‫‏‏‬THE‫“‏‬SHELL”
Construction Steps: temporary construction
first level
second level
section