100 images of St. Nicholas

LUTSK – Volyn has some 40 churches dedicated to Saint Nicholas. Bishop Nifont, head of the Volyn Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), said during the ceremony of opening the icons’ exhibit that this saint has long been revered by the Orthodox community, particularly in Volyn, considering that practically every home in Volyn has an icon with his image. For the Orthodox adherents, St. Nicholas embodies the key Christian values: charity, kindness, compassion, and love of neighbor. This exposition is made up of over 100 icons borrowed from the Volyn Local History Museum, Volyn Icons Museum, Ostroh State Historical-Cultural Preserve, Ostroh’s Book and Printing Museum, Liuboml’s Local History Museum, including icons from the private collections of Bishop Nifont and Volyn-born Archbishop Varfolomii of Rivne and Ostroh (UOC).

Saint Nicholas was once a man, another mortal, but no images of that man have survived the ravages of time. This makes it even more interesting to study every icon on display, considering the epoch and art school. Tetiana Yelisieieva, curator of Volyn Icons Museum, says there are very rare icons on display, including one dating back to 1751 (badly damaged, discovered at the church of Nuino, a village in Kamin-Kashyrsky raion, Volyn oblast, considering that the church was built in the mid-17th century). This image is strongly reminiscent of quite a few 18th-century images of church hierarchs. There are also three 17th-century hagiographic icons of St. Nicholas displayed for the first time. The exhibit shows the icons in gold and silver frames, which is proof of particular honoring. The modern icons are decorated with beads, pearls, silk embroidery, and color enamel. Also, two icons using cypress boards bewitchingly ornamented in gold, but above all displaying arrestingly realistic images. One of them has an inscription on the reverse side, to the effect that it was created at Mount Athos in 1904.

The current exhibit at the Volyn Icons Museum is entitled “The Image of Saint Nicholas in 17th-21st-Century Icons, Old Publications, Repousse and Chasing, Decorative and Applied Art.” There are miniature icons and a number of other souvenirs contributed by pilgrims from Greece, Italy, and Russia. The exposition also includes objects d’art contributed by local artists. It will be reminded that there is a monument to the city’s patron in downtown Lutsk and his image is part of the city’s coat of arms.