Did you know that the carriage of the Metropolitans of Kyiv was one of the brightest decorative elements of the expositions of the All-Ukrainian Museum Town during the first half of the 1930s?

It was created in the early 18th century by French masters and decorated with gilded elements, Rococo patterns and exquisite carvings.

In 1903, Metropolitan of Kyiv and Halych Flavian (in the world Gorodetsky) gifted the ancient carriage to the Kyiv Art, Industry and Science Museum. The institution was renamed in 1924 into Kyiv Taras Shevchenko All-Ukrainian Historical Museum. The change in the name marked numerous Soviet era reorganizations. In August 1930, the exhibit was transferred to the Lavra’s Preserve. It was done because the lobby, where the carriage was stored, “was in need for other purposes”. Soon afterwards the new place of storage was found for the carriage. It was Sewing and Fabric Division in the interior of the Church of Annunciation in Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. Later it was exhibited in the Museum of History of Religion and at the “Religion in the Service of Feudal Exploiters” exhibition. Today you can see this rare work of history and art in the National Museum of History of Ukraine.

Captions to the illustrations:

1. The carriage of the Metropolitans of Kyiv in the exposition of the Sewing and Fabric Division of the All-Ukrainian Museum Town. Early 1930s [National Kyiv-Pehersk Historical and Cultural Preserve, inv. № KPL-N-3067]

2. Carriage of the Metropolitans of Kyiv in the Museum of History of Religion of the All-Ukrainian Museum Town. The first half of the 1930s [National Kyiv-Pehersk Historical and Cultural Preserve, inv. № KPL-N-2914]

3. Carriage of the Metropolitans of Kyiv in the exposition of the National Museum of History of Ukraine (photo by Volodymyr Kolybenko)