On the occasion of the fifteenth anniversary, Law Firm Jurimex together with the National Art Museum of Ukraine present the greatest cultural event of the year, exhibition “EPIPHANY. Artifacts of the Brotherhood Monastery”.
The Brotherhood Monastery was founded in 1615, on the lands of Anna Hulevychivna-Lozchyna, a bourgeois. In 1620, Hetman Petro Sahaidachnyi laid down the Church of the Epiphany in the center of the square. It was built in line with the best traditions of Ukrainian folk architecture. Not only did the Kyiv Brotherhood Monastery turn into a unique cultural phenomenon of the XVII century, but also quickly became a cradle of Ukrainian culture, laid the basis for its formation and development in the future. Bourgeoisie, gentry and confessors joined the brotherhood, and in 1620 Hetman Petro Sahaidachnyi with all the Zaporizhian Host became its members. In the middle of the XVII century, the brotherhood turned into a Ukrainian educational, service, cultural center, the stronghold of the struggle for the Orthodox faith.
It is impossible to imagine the development of Ukrainian culture and the formation of Ukrainian nation without the activity of the brotherhood that was maintained by contributions of brothers.
For a long time scientists believed that after the demolition of the Church of the Epiphany in the territory of the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in 1935, all its artifacts were destroyed. Thus, a series of attributions and publications of icons from the Brotherhood Monastery, which took place in 1999-2000, was a splash. National Art Museum of Ukraine and National Kyiv-Pechersk Historical Cultural Preserve identified icons in their collections.
It appeared that in 1934, before the demolition of the Church of the Epiphany, icons were transferred to the All-Ukrainian Museum complex situated in the territory of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. Under unknown circumstances, in the late 1930s or during the World War II, the icons (except one) were found in the National Art Museum of Ukraine, where they were registered as works of unknown origin and kept unidentified until the beginning of the 2000s. Following their gradual identification, in 1999-2009, the icons were restored and examined. Now, the museum presents the icons for the first time.
Main artifacts of the exhibition are five baroque icons, one of them is the legendary miraculous icon of Mother of God of the Brotherhood, four silver icon platings, wonderful examples of the 17th century Kyiv jewelry school, reliquary for relics, and altar crosses. The artifacts, which were restored for about 10 years, demonstrate a high artistic level of the Kyiv School in icon painting, engraving, and metal-plastic.
“EPIPHANY. Artifacts of the Brotherhood Monastery” project attracts modern technologies for the implementation of innovative approaches to exhibiting works of the Cossack Baroque period, which is essential for Ukrainian art.
