The object of the study – restored architectural monuments. The subject of the study – the evaluative approaches, principles and methods of preserving, reproducing and exhibiting the artistic and aesthetic decoration of monuments of fine and decorative-applied art restored in the late 20th – early 21st century. The aim of the study – the conceptualization and systematization of the evolution of ideas about decorativeness in architectural restoration practice of the late 20th – early 21st century, as well as the theoretical substantiation of the principles of preserving and integrating decorative elements of specific restored monuments as carriers of the temporal and semantic resource of the local historical and cultural environment, using the example of objects in the cities of Eastern Galicia. The research methodology is built on interdisciplinary approaches at the intersection of art history, architectural theory and restoration, combining theoretical methods (analysis, synthesis, induction, deduction, abstraction, systematization), empirical methods (comparison, description, questionnaire surveying), and specialized methods including comparative-historical, historiographic, historical-genetic, systemic, socio-cultural, comparative and case study approaches. The scientific novelty lies in the analysis of the state of restoration work in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the development of concepts of ornamentation in the restoration of architectural monuments in Eastern Galicia that were restored in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, and the study and analysis of public opinion on the restoration of architectural monuments to establish the interdependence between community expectations and contemporary trends in restoration. For the first time, the concept of decorativeness in restoration has been formulated; a comprehensive analysis of the phenomenon of architectural decorativeness has been carried out; a comparison of approaches of different countries to the restoration of decor of architectural monuments has been conducted (Ukraine, Western European countries and Japan); the semantic dimension of architectural decorativeness has been analyzed; restoration approaches to the preservation of decorative elements of architectural monuments of Eastern Galicia have been examined; a methodology for the formation of concepts of decorativeness in restoration has been developed; concepts of decorativeness in restoration of the late 20th – early 21st century have been formulated; the distinctive features of the concepts of decorativeness in restoration of the late 20th – early 21st century in Eastern Galicia have been characterized; the influence of the relationship between public opinion and the priority goals of building restoration has been established. The theoretical significance of this work lies in broadening art-historical understanding of the concept of decorativeness in architectural restoration practice from the late 20th to the early 21st century, and its iconographic, stylistic and semantic characteristics. The practical significance of this work lies in enriching the conceptual framework of contemporary art history through an in-depth conceptualisation of the terms “decorativeness in restoration” and “the temporal-semantic resource of urban space”. This approach focuses on analyzing the architectural environment not merely as a collection of buildings, but as a living sign system — a semiotics of the city. The principles of decor integration systematized in the work, with emphasis on the importance of preserving and restoring specific elements and ornamental systems, sculptural plastic and wall paintings, are essential for the professional and expert distinction of scholarly restoration from pseudo-historical new construction (“kitsch”) that distorts the value of specific objects and spaces. The proposed analysis of the ornamentation of architectural monuments as a visual code of identity can be applied in art-historical research on the processes of decolonization and deradicalization of space. The materials and conclusions of the work may be used in the compilation of encyclopedic publications, the academic history of Ukrainian art and architecture of the late 20th – early 21st century, as well as scholarly catalogues of monuments of local and national significance. The main findings of this study can be used in teaching courses in the fields of “Art History,” “Cultural Studies,” “Art Restoration,” and “Fine Arts, Decorative Arts, and Restoration.”
