Dear friends!

From now on, every Thursday we will acquaint you with the Artistic Heritage of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.

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Today we present you the icon “Synaxis of the Archangels” from the iconostasis of the Church of the Ascension in the village of Berezna, Chernihiv region (the 1760s, wood, oil, 168 × 88 cm, Inv. Nr. KPL-Zh-2357).

This iconography was formed in the Byzantine Empire in the 9th century on the occasion of the victory over the iconoclasts and the resumption of icon worship. The Synaxis of Archangels is a gathering of bodiless powers of nine angelic hosts. The main dogmatic meaning of the icon is the unification of the Forces of Good around the idea of ​​Deity. The archangels Michael with a fiery sword in his hand and Gabriel with a lily are depicted in the centre of the icon on two sides. In addition to the mentioned attributes, the archangels hold disks bearing the legends “Who is like God” and “Holy, Holy, Holy”. We can see the host of angels behind the archangels and the Savior Emmanuel in shining light in the center above. The Holy Spirit as a Dove and God the Father are above Him. The icon of the Baroque heyday showed features of the Rococo elegance.

The national ideal of beauty is embodied in the images of archangels. Exquisite faces with distinguished features, subdued colours (refined overtones of green, azure and gold colors that are enhanced by a joyful harmony of red and white) as well as clearly imperative rhythm compose some of the artistic features of the Icon of Synaxis. The master passionately worked on the archangel's vestments. He was fascinated by the opportunity to depict the overflows of moire and silk, a matt metal, to show his virtuosity in depicting of details.

The text was prepared by Olena Pitateleva, the senior research worker

Research Division for the study of the artistic heritage of the National Kyiv-Pechersk Historical and Cultural Preserve

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