Rhône-Poulenc helps restore Venetian crypt
PATRICIA L. LAYMAN · Chemical & Engineering News · 1994
Some 400 years after it was walled up because of inexorable flooding, the crypt of the renowned St. Mark's Basilica in Venice will reopen for worship early this year, after a blessing ceremony that took place in mid-December. The crypt was restored to pristine glory in good part through the efforts of French chemical maker Rhône-Poulenc. The company provided major funding and supplied chemical products and know-how. A team appointed by Venetian church officiais performed the work. The crypt was built in about 1000 to house the remains of St. Mark, Venice's patron saint. It began to fill with seawater in the early 1500s, and was walled up in 1580. Repeated efforts to restore it since have failed. (The floor is below sea level.) The current restoration began in 1986, after more than 10 years of study. Workers pumped out the water and removed concrete applied in the late 19th century in a futile effort ...