National Kyiv-Pechersk Historical and Cultural Preserve has joined the challenge #MuseumFromHome

Dear Friends!

Take a trip to our virtual museum during your coffee or tea break and make your #quarantinediscoveries!

Admire unique cultural assets of the Museum Fund of Ukraine!

An important place in the Preserve collection belongs to the works of art related to the history and relics of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. The icon of the Pechersk Mother of God (1818) is one of the most valuable monuments in this field. It is painted on canvas and has a large size of 218.0 × 170.0 cm.

The icon depicts the Virgin enthroned with Sts. Anthony and Theodosius of Pechersk, who fell to her knees. As a sign of special intercession, Our Lady with Christ the Child on her knees laid her hands on the shoulders of the founders of the Pechersk Monastery. The iconography of the work is based on the engraving by Nykodym Zubrytsky from Lavra editions and has been widespread since the beginning of the 18th century. In the composition there is another significative and very touching detail: St. Theodosius touches the foot of Christ the Child. The icon impresses not only with its scale, but also, first of all, with the emotionality of the images: the Mother of God is gentle and very human, and Sts. Anthony and Theodosius of Pechersk are insightful, they seem to appeal to the viewer.

This solemn work was commissioned in 1818 by Epiphanius Burmovsky, a member of the Lavra Spiritual Council and head of the printing house of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. This is evidenced by the inscription at the bottom of the icon. The artifact was created by the artist of the Lavra icon-painting workshop. It is distinguished by the perfection of its artistic performance. For more than a century it was stored in the printing department of the Lavra printing house. As evidenced by photographs of the early 20th century from the Preserve collection, an icon case with carved columns was made for the icon, and a candlestick stood in front of it. In another photo we can see the icon at the exposition of the All-Ukrainian Museum Town.

Let’s #stayathome and discover the beauties of the Preserve’s collection together!

#museumfromhome, #museumcoffeebreak, #museumteabreak

Fig. 1. Interior of the Kyiv-Pechersk Kavra Printing House. Early 20th c. Photograph. КПЛ-Ф-2924

Fig. 2. Interior of the Exposition of Easel Painting of the All-Ukrainian Museum Town. 1930s. Photograph. КПЛ-Ф-9144.