Celebration of the 250th Anniversary of the Coronation of the Pochayiv Icon Begins with an Exhibition of Church Rarities
On September 26, the Ternopil Regional Museum of Local Lore hosted the opening of the exhibition Pochayiv Monastery in the History of the Greek Catholic Church. The event opened a series of events marking the 250th anniversary of the coronation of the icon of the Virgin of Pochayiv. Attendees could view exhibits from the monastery’s union period (1712–1831).
Auxiliary Bishop Teodor Martyniuk of Ternopil-Zboriv, addressing the audience, said that the event of the coronation of the Pochayiv Icon by Pope Clement XIV in 1773 was an epochal one for our people and the Church, that “it became a new turning point in understanding who we are as a people, what values we have, what we live by, and what matters to us. Coronation of the icon symbolized not just honor and recognition of miraculous power but primarily the spiritual maturity of our people, which meant that the Holy Virgin was known and loved by our people.”
The bishop thanked the director of the Ternopil Regional Museum of Local Lore, Yarema Shatarsky, and the staff for their initiative and emphasized that “the museum is not only a curator of historical values, but also actualizes the past in the present.” To mark the occasion, the bishop presented the museum with a commemorative medal minted on the 250th anniversary of the coronation of the icon with the coat of arms of Pope Clement and the 18th-century Assumption Cathedral (reverse side).
The exhibition is a precursor to the International Scientific Conference “Pochayiv Phenomenon: The Basilian Monastery of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the History and Culture of Ukraine.” The conference will take place from 28 to 30 September at the Zarvanytsia Marian Spiritual Center. Its aim is to debunk the myths of the Russian Empire and to reveal the true facts of the history of Ukrainian Pochayiv, in particular the Uniate period.
based on the materials of the press service of the Ternopil-Zboriv Archeparchy of the UGCC
