2023 Theses Master's

A History of Preservation and Value Assessment of the White Monastery Church

Yousef, Damiana Mehrael

A comprehensive value-based assessment is critical in informing preservation efforts, communicating to preservationists what on a given site is worth preserving and why. The study of preservation of the historic church at the White Monastery overtime gives us an understanding of which values, and which stakeholders, have historically had the most influence in guiding preservation and restoration efforts on the site. We see consistently that preservation efforts on the historic church are motivated primarily by stakeholders’ religious values, and that areas of great religious value on the site are historically the most well-maintained. It is therefore of the utmost importance that future preservation efforts are guided by an understanding of the historic church’s value to stakeholders, and that they prioritize structures of religious value, such as the historic church, and the sanctuary therein.