Exhibitions of Kyiv-Pechersk Preserve in the 1980s

Dear friends!

Today’s release of “Memories of Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra” photo project will acquaint you with the exhibitions of Kyiv-Pechersk Preserve organized in the 1980s.

That period of time was marked by the active work of the Preserve in this direction. New exhibition premises were opened parallel to the old ones that continued to operate. Among the old exhibitions one would underline such as “Artistic Metal Processing of the 16th – 19th centuries” and “Artistic Types of Fabric and Embroidery of the 16th – 19th centuries”. They were installed in monastic cells (building № 3) on Soborna Square. Exhibition “Artistic Types of Fabric and Embroidery of the 16th – 19th centuries” opened after the re-exposition in 1979 and lasted until 1989. The visitors could observe various works of art from ancient fabrics (including brocade, silk, velvet etc.) there (photo 1-3).

Most part of new exhibitions, which opened in the Preserve in the 1980s, was arranged to commemorate various anniversaries. Thus, in 1982, Kyiv residents solemnly celebrated the 1500th anniversary of the foundation of their city. Prior to this date, there opened the exhibition “Restorers of Soviet Ukraine - the 1500th Anniversary of Kyiv (Easel Painting of the 16th-18th centuries from the Fund Сollection of the Preserve)”. It was assembled in the same building № 3. The exposition consisted of 26 museum items, the oldest of which were the Royal Gates of the 16th century and kiot wings of the late 16th-17th centuries. In three years the Soviet Union has solemnly celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War. The exhibition dedicated to this event was opened on the ground floor of the newly restored cell building № 51 in the Far Caves. The exhibition was named “Restoration and Reconstruction in the Preserve for forty Postwar Years (1945–1985)” (photo 4). It was about the immovable and movable monuments. Immovable sites that were destroyed and then restored during the postwar period, one could see on photos and in other documents. Besides, there were restored movable monuments at that exhibition. Most of those exposed items demonstrated church utensils. In September 1986, the exhibition dedicated to the 60th anniversary of Kyiv-Pechersk Preserve was opened in the same building. One could see photos of interwar and postwar exhibitions as well as the photos of visitors (some of them were used in our previous releases). That exhibition was memorable because despite other things it featured old guestbooks, thematic publications, gifts associated with anniversaries, etc.

In the mid-1980s, two new exhibitions that demonstrated rather unusual items, appeared in the Preserve. One of them was the Exhibition of Microminiatures. It has already operated in the Preserve by that time and, thus, was well known to the visitors. However, it was only in 1985, when it received the place of its permanent location. That was building. № 5 (photo 5). The second exhibition “Treasures of Kyiv-Pechersk Preserve” demonstrated holograms. It opened in late 1986 and was located on the second floor of building № 51. This exhibition can be considered a technical breakthrough in the exposition work (photo 6). Optical copies of museum items, made with the help of a laser beam, were of great interest for the visitors. In July 1988, the exhibition was closed due to the fact that the territory of the Far Caves was transfered to the restored Kyiv-Pechersk Monastery. However, quite soon the exhibition opened again. That time it was in building № 45 in the Near Caves.

Since September 1986, the exhibition “Nestor - Kyivan Rus Chronicler” started being exposed in five small halls of building № 3. The exhibition was dedicated to the author of the famous Primary Chronicle “Tale of Bygone Years” (photo 7).

In 1987, a small exposition entitled “Archaeological Findings of 1985–1987” was opened on the second floor of building № 52. It presented ceramic and glassblowing items of the 17th – 18th centuries. That same year, the exhibition “Ukrainian Folk Icon of the 17th-19th centuries” (photo 8) opened on the ground floor of building № 51. It stayed there until May 1989 and then moved to building №3, where it resumed its work (photo 9). The reason that exhibition changed its location was that in summer 1988 the buildings situated in the territory of the Far Caves were transferred to the monastic community.

The last Preserve’s exhibition of the 1980s we would like to mention today is “Works of the Western European Artists of the 16th-19th centuries in the Engravings”. It was opened on November 29, 1989 in building № 25 (St. Nicholas Church). The visitors could see the engravings made by Michelangelo, Titian, Rubens, Van Dyck, Poussin (photo 10).

The next release of “Memories of Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra” photo project will be dedicated to the activities of Kyiv-Pechersk Preserve in the 1980s.

Captions to the illustrations:

1-3. Exhibition “Artistic Types of Fabric and Embroidery of the 16th – 19th centuries”.

4. Exhibition “Restoration and Reconstruction in the Preserve for 40 Postwar Years (1945–1985)”.

5. Folk artist Mykola Syadrysty at his personal exhibition in building № 5.

6. Exhibition of holograms “Treasures of Kyiv-Pechersk Preserve”.

7. Exhibition “Nestor – Kyivan Rus Chronicler”.

8. Exhibition “Ukrainian Folk Icon of the 17th-19th centuries”.

9. Exhibition “Ukrainian Folk Iconography of the 17th-19th centuries”.

10. Exhibition “Works of the Western European Artists of the 16th-19th centuries in the Engraving”.