St Michael the Archangel returns to Michael's Tower this Sunday

The restored and gilded statue of the protector of Bratislava, Michael the Archangel fighting the dragon, will return to the top of the iconic building in Bratislava's historic centre this Sunday, 2 October 2022. A time-capsule made from the head of the Archangel Michael statue will end its journey atop St. Michael's Tower, which is undergoing a major renovation to restore it to its original Baroque appearance from 1758. This will be restored to its original place at the top of Michael's Tower, after the statue has been installed.

How the sculpture was destroyed The sculpture of Michael the Archangel fighting the dragon was created in the 18th century by the coppersmith master Peter Eller. "Copper as such is a relatively durable material; the problem with the degradation of this sculpture was in the supporting structures," says sculptor and metal restorer Stanislav Kožela, who carried out the restoration of the sculpture. “Due to the problematic joint between the wrought iron and copper, the destruction of the supporting elements was accelerated, namely the active corrosion that occurred in the points where the two materials came into contact," explains S. Kožela. The supporting elements were completely corroded and apparently this is why the hand with the sword, the Archangel's wing and parts of the dragon were lost.

The restoration of the sculpture largely entailed adding the following missing parts made of beaten copper:

• left wing of St. Michael the Archangel,
• right forearm of St. Michael the Archangel with a flaming sword,
• dragon’s left ear,
• dragon’s tongue,

as well as in adding new load-bearing elements of the structure, which were forged from chromium-nickel steel (also known as stainless steel). Period photographs helped the restorer to get closer to the original expression and character of the sculpture.

Gilding of the sculpture The sculpture covered with stable, mature copper - a noble blue-green patina that is formed by the natural oxidation of copper - when it was removed from Michael's Tower last year, is returned to the tower gilded. "Initially we wanted to accelerate the formation of a green-blue oxidation layer on the elements of the sculpture, which were added in a restorative way, but research revealed that the original expression of the sculpture was somewhat different - there was a layer of gold on its surface, and most probably it was a full-body gilding," explains Patrik Baxa, architectural historian who carried out the research on the sculpture. Weathering on the top of the tower has removed this gilding over the years, but traces of the gilding have been found, for example, on the helmet and the shield of the Archangel statue. The public had the opportunity to see the gilding process in the courtyard of Apponyi Palace, within the premises of the Bratislava City Museum. "The whole sculpture of St. Michael the Archangel with the dragon was gilded with 23.5 carat gold, with 28 grams of gold used. The durability of such gilding is estimated to be several decades, but it all depends on the amount of mechanical wear to which the statue is exposed outdoors," says Michal Augustovič, curator of historical and art-historical collections of the Bratislava City Museum and coordinator of the restoration process of Michael's Tower.

Return to Michael's Tower The public is also invited to the historically significant event of placing the sculpture back on the top of Michael's Tower on 2 October. The Bratislava City Museum, which manages Michael's Tower, together with the event's partner, the Bratislava Cultural and Information Centre (BKIS), have prepared a festive parade with a programme for the public. The parade, which starts at 12:00 in the Old Town Hall and will escort the statue to Michael's Tower, will be accompanied in a dignified manner by the municipal police. ”The St. Michael the Archangel statue has undergone a comprehensive restoration in recent months. I would like to thank the restorer and all the experts who have restored the excellent condition of the statue and regained its gilded appearance. The time has come for the statue to return to its place - to the top of Michael's Tower, from where it will once again watch over the activity and events in the city. And since it is a statue of the patron saint, I believe that it will also protect us once again. We perceive the installation of the statue on Michael's Tower as an event that also deserves a certain celebration, and which we would like to experience with the residents of our city. I would like to invite all the people of Bratislava to come and enjoy the parade and to be present with us at this event“, says Matúš Vallo, Mayor of Bratislava.

The programme for the public will include an online broadcast of the Clarisses’ Discourse - a museum special, which will broadcast the whole event live on Facebook page of BKIS, MMB and Bratislava - capital city and YouTube BKIS. The mysteries and importance of Michael's Tower and Gate in the city's history will be discussed by BKIS' guides as part of the series of guided walks of the Rendezvous with the City special. The walks are free, but capacity is limited, so please register here ↗︎.

Carrying of St. Michael statue to St. Michael's Tower // event schedule: Morning 2 October - Dismantling of St. Michael the Archangel statue in the courtyard of the Bratislava Old Town Hall until 11:00am - parts of the statue will be loaded onto the back of a festively decorated car with the city's logo and prepared for transport, 12:00 - start of the ceremonial parade from the Old Town Hall to Michael's Tower from approx. 12:20 - the statue will be hoisted to the top of St. Michael's Tower in parts using a pulley, the host interviews experts during the hosting and installation of the statue on the tower (Clarisses’ Discourse - a museum special) the public can watch what is happening on the tower on multiple screens, upon completion of the installation of St Michael the Archangel statue at the top of Michael's Tower, a replica of the original time capsule with new contents will be inserted into the head of the statue. The assembly and installation process of the sculpture will take an estimated 2 to 4 hours (approx. until 4:30pm).

More information can be found at Bratislava City Museum ↗︎ and on Bratislava City Museum's social media.