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London's
St Paul's unveils interior renovation
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The interior of one of London's most renowned
landmarks, St Paul's cathedral, has been given a multi-million pound facelift.
St Paul's, a site of Christian worship since 607 AD, has been obscured
by scaffolding for the last
four years during the 10.8 million pound renovation.
On Thursday its gleaming new look was unveiled, a key stage in an
overall 40 million pound renovation of architect Sir Christopher Wren's
masterpiece in time for its 300th anniversary in 2008.
"People can now see this building as it was first conceived and built," the Dean of St
Paul's Cathedral Dr John Moses told Reuters.
"I think just to see a building that's been part of the story of London
for 300 years looking today, cleaned, revived, restored and looking its
best, is fabulous."
Restorers cleaned thousands of metres of stonework, erecting and
dismantling scaffolding before daybreak throughout the four years so as
not to disturb the cathedral's day-to-day worship.
Dulled mosaics were cleaned
with cotton buds, and a latex-based "facemask" was applied
to the stonework and its centuries of London smog, although one panel was
left so visitors can see the difference.
"It had the effect of making the place gloomy when it shouldn't have
been," architect Martin Stancliff said of the grime. "It absorbed light
rather than reflected it."
Banker Robin Fleming funded the work on the interior but Sir Roger
Gibbs, chairman of the fundraising committee, stressed that more cash is
still needed to complete external work.
Of the 40 million pounds needed, 33 million has been raised so far.
The old St Paul's was destroyed in the great Fire of London in 1666.
Wren was commissioned to design the current building shortly
afterwards.
(Agencies) |
圣保罗大教堂是伦敦最负盛名的地标之一。目前，一项耗资几千万英镑的内部翻修工程正在进行之中。
自公元607年以来，圣保罗大教堂就是基督教徒作礼拜之地。但是，在过去的四年时间里，人们对它进行了一项耗资1080万英镑的翻新工作。它的四周密密麻麻地竖起了脚手架，使得其真实面目变得朦胧起来。
本周四（6月9日），圣保罗大教堂的新面孔开始隐现出来。这是总耗资高达4000万英镑的整修计划的一个关键阶段。圣保罗大教堂由杰出的设计师克里斯托弗·列恩爵士设计重建，到2008年将迎来其落成300周年大典。
“现在人们所看到的圣保罗大教堂，和当初设计建造时一模一样，” 圣保罗大教堂的主教约翰·摩西博士对路透社记者说。
“在我看来，这座建筑已经成为伦敦历史的一部分了。在经历了300年的风吹雨打之后，人们又把它擦拭一新，恢复其原貌，重现其辉煌。这可真让人难以置信。”
修理工人把几千米长的石廊清洗得干干净净，而且，在过去四年中，为了不打扰人们每日在教堂作礼拜，他们在晚上支起脚手架，又在拂晓时分把它们拆掉。
修理工人用棉球一点一点把灰暗的镶嵌图案擦洗干净，还给石头建筑上刷上了一层胶制“面罩”，以保护它不被几个世纪沉淀下来的伦敦烟尘弄脏。不过，他们还是留下了一块地方没有清理，这样游客们一眼就能看出清理前后的巨大差别。
“这些灰尘让原本应该干净漂亮的大教堂变得阴暗，它们吸收阳光，而不是反射阳光，”在谈及教堂上厚厚的灰尘时，建筑师马丁·斯坦科利夫这样说。
银行家罗宾·弗菜明为这座大教堂的内部整修提供了资金，但是筹资委员会主席罗杰·吉布斯一再强调，要完成对大教堂外部的修理，还需要大笔资金。
整个修理工程共需耗资4000万英镑，目前已筹集到3300万。
原来的圣保罗大教堂1666年毁于伦敦的一场大火，之后不久，列恩就被委任设计建造了目前这座气势宏伟的建筑。
（中国日报网站译） |
Updated: 2005-06-14 09:34