“These icons on the wounded armor plates reflect the spiritual world of the Ukrainian warrior” — His Beatitude Sviatoslav at the end of the exhibition at the Patriarchal Cathedral
On July 3, His Beatitude Sviatoslav blessed the icons painted on the plates of bulletproof vests at the end of the exhibition, which had been running throughout June at the Kyiv Three Saints Theological Seminary and the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ.
Twelve works by icon painter Andriy Okhotskyi from the Ternopil region were painted on armor plates that saved Ukrainian defenders. The icons are grouped into the “Spiritual Valor” cycle and were created as part of the ArtArmor project. The exhibition was organized by the Ukraine for Heroes Charitable Foundation.
“An icon is a mystical encounter between a person and the invisible world. An icon painter who paints icons seems to open a window into the invisible spiritual world. And he helps us, people, to see the unseen through our eyes. Then everyone who prays before the icon enters the space of personal contact with the invisible world, a meeting with God, His holy saints,” said His Beatitude Sviatoslav.
He emphasized that every icon represents a saved life of a Ukrainian defender. Therefore, these icons prompt us to encounter God even more closely. “These icons on the wounded armor plates reflect the spiritual world of the Ukrainian soldier. For the one who is fighting for the Motherland today carries the invisible light of God,” said the Patriarch.
The Spiritual Valor project aims to enhance the role of spirituality in society and preserve national culture through a combination of art, religion, and history.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy presented these icons, painted on armor plates damaged by enemy bullets, to Pope Francis and the Presidents of Poland and Lithuania.
In the future, the Spiritual Valor project envisages the creation of a separate exhibition that will feature 24 icons from each region of Ukraine, the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Kyiv, and Sevastopol, which will have iconographic features of each region.
The UGCC Department for Information
