Greek restorer tends to Istanbul church artefacts that 'live through centuries'

Venizelos Gavrilakis, a senior restorer and conservator from Thessaloniki, Greece, and his assistant Umut Ballikaya carry a 16th century Byzantine Christian icon after they completed cleaning and restoration work at a Greek Orthodox church where Gavrilakis set up his laboratory in Istanbul, Turkey January 26, 2021. REUTERS/Murad Sezer

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Greek restorer Venizelos Gavrilakis uses microscopes, cotton swabs and a delicate touch to bring artefacts back to life in churches in Istanbul, where concerns have grown about the preservation of its Byzantine history.

Since moving from Thessaloniki eight years ago, Gavrilakis, 44, and his colleagues have preserved icons, frescos and paintings in 25 Greek Orthodox churches in the city, he said.