Today we would like to tell you about the photographs with the images of painters who decorated the churches of Kyiv-Pechersk monastery in the late 19th - early 20th centuries.

As you know, starting from the ancient times Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra has been considered as the special place where the Ukrainian national art was born. With this we associate the name of St Alipiy, the first known painter of the times of the Kyivan Rus, who was the monk of Kyiv-Pechersk monastery. From Lavra’s Paterikon we know that St Alipiy took part in the painting of the Great Pechersk Church and usually the researchers associate the beginnings of Lavra’s iconography with his name. St Alipiy is widely believed to be the author of the glorious image of Pechersk (Svensk) icon of the Mother of God with Sts Anthony and Theodosius of Pechersk standing on her left and right sides. Venerable Alipiy is also believed to be the painter specializing in monumental art, and the one to decorate other Kyiv churches, in particular, St Michael’s Golden-Domed Cathedral. Generally speaking, the Orthodox Church has always placed emphasis on the monumental art. Theologists of the Medieval Times wrote: “The images are painted in the church so that those who are not literate, could at least look at them and read what they cannot read in the books”. At the same time, it was not customary for the icon painters to sign their works until the 18th century. The painters were considered to be only technical performers of the sacred images, which appeared to them through visions and most often in their dreams. That is why, it is a miracle that the name of St Alipiy has come to us from the remote past and is associated with the icon painting.

Quite different is the situation with the artists of the New Age. We already know their names, but we cannot always imagine what they looked like, because not all of them left their self-portraits. The development of the art of photography made it possible to learn how the painters, who worked in Lavra at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, looked like. Among the photographs presented in our release there are portraits of such artists as Volodymyr Sonin (he painted the facades of the Trinity Gate Church), Ivan Izhakevych (who participated in the paintings of the Lavra’s main entrance facades, the interiors of the Church of All Saints and Sts Anthony and Theodosius of Pechersk Church with the Refectory), Andriy Lakov (he was among those who painted the Dormition Cathedral and Sts Anthony and Theodosius of Pechersk Church with the Refectory). The group photos show the students of the icon-painting school and the artists who painted the churches of Lavra.

The next release of our photo project devoted to the memorable pages of the history of Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra will focus on the “historical rivals” of Lavra from Zverynetsky monastery.

Captions to the photos:

1. A team of artists who painted the Dormition Cathedral. Artist Andriy Lakov and Academician of Painting Viktor Fartusov stand in the center of the second row. The end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th centuries. (KPL-F-13553-13555)

2. Painter Volodymyr Sonin. 1895 (KPL-F-13302)

3. Masters-gilders of Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. 1900 (KPL-F-10833)

4. Painter Ivan Izhakevych. Early 20th century.

5. Painter Andriy Lakov. 1905 (KPL-F-13544,13545)

6. Ornamental masters standing in the interior of the Church of Sts Anthony and Theodosius of Pechersk. In the center - Andriy Lakov with his sons Ivan (to the right) and Mykola (to the left). Early 20th century. (KPL-F-13550,13551)

7. Teachers and students of Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra icon-painting school. In the center - the head of the icon-painting workshop Volodymyr (Sokolov) and Ivan Izhakevych. 1905–1906

8. Painters, icon painters and students of Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra icon-painting school 1914 (KPL-A-1070)