Abstract
The article presents two wooden small crosses recently discovered inside two graves in the ancient cemetery of Văratec Monastery (Neamț County). According to the historic and archaeological data, the respective funerary space operated throughout the 19th century. On the occasion of the restoration works of one of the monastic assembly’s churches, 72 funerary complexes were researched, and some of them had inventory elements too. The excessive humidity and the clay soil allowed the rather good preservation of a part of the funerary furniture, made of wood.
One of the wooden small crosses comes from a disturbed grave (M. 32), it has small dimensions and was decorated with geometrical elements. The second small cross was identified inside grave M. 51, from which coffin remains, a large part of the deceased’s skeleton and a brick engraved with the year of death (1831) were preserved.
Taking into consideration the rarity of such objects in archaeological contexts, they were carefully collected and sent for conservation to the Regional Restoration Laboratory within the National Museum of Bukovina, Suceava. The paper presents in detail the methodology followed in view of their conservation and restoration.