The museum is free... Sainskaya zozulka, golden treasures and the recipe for Easter cake from the family of Mykhailo Hrushevsky... To be continued.
Next to the building of the Museum of Decorative Arts is the church in honor of the Venerable Anthony and Theodosius of the Caves with the Refectory. I have already written that I really like the paintings in the former refectory and its energy, which has a calming effect on me, makes me want to sit on a bench and not think about anything.
Previously, the church was in operation, and photography was not allowed. Last time I talked to the female parishioners sitting in the refectory about the ban on photography inside. They agreed with me that it was strange and wrong. But the church leadership at the time had their own views.
By the way, this time I didn't go to the Assumption Cathedral, because somewhere in my head I had the thought that you can't take pictures there, and just going there for the third time is not so interesting.
Those who don't have the opportunity to visit the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra can see the interior of the Assumption Cathedral and other monuments in a three-dimensional image at the link: http://lavra. ua/3dtour/index.html
But let's return to the Refectory Church. After certain well-known events, they stopped holding services there. And now the church, and especially the refectory, looks a bit empty and cold. Even the benches have been removed.
Only tourists wander around the premises, clicking on the buttons of their cameras and phones.
I hope that in the near future, after resolving all the religious and social issues of the Lavra complex, regular services in the Church of Anthony and Theodosius of the Caves will resume, and the premises will be filled with good energy.
Then I look up at the bell tower...And only when I found myself on the top tier, I realized that it was a stupid idea and a waste of time on my part. There were so many people wanting to go up and take a selfie against the backdrop of the city panorama that I had to wait a long time for a free spot, and I immediately remembered the Campanile in Florence, the Town Hall in Lviv, and all the towers where two human streams barely diverged on narrow spiral staircases.
I remember the exhibition of the revived treasures of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. It’s a bit hidden between the buildings near the bell tower, but there are advertising signs, it’s easy to find. This time they allow you to take photos with your phone.
The exhibition “The Revived Universe” is dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Restoration Workshop of the Lavra Museum and “honors the painstaking work of the Department of Scientific Restoration, Conservation and Expertise of Movable Monuments of the National Reserve “Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra”, aimed at preserving Ukrainian cultural heritage. ”
The exhibition presents over 100 works of art from the 17th-20th centuries: ancient Ukrainian icons, crosses, silver church utensils, liturgical fabrics and old prints. Among the unique exhibits are objects originating from the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra and other temples and monasteries of Kyiv, many of which were destroyed during World War II and were restored only recently, including: a 1756 offering box made of silver with minting, casting and gilding, a 1707 altar Gospel in a silver frame, finifta and gilding, a blessed cross from 1753 - an example of exquisite church art made of silver and gold, an 18th-century felon's epaulette. made of precious fabrics, silk and metal threads, decorated with beads and pearls, the icon "St. Theodosius of the Caves" of the 19th century - part of the deacon's door, made on wood with oil paints, etc.
Along with some rarities, there are photographs showing how this object looked before restoration and at various stages of work on it.
I really wanted to get back to Trinity Gate Church. I really liked it, and I also remembered the words of one visitor about the mural above the stairs, which I heard last time when leaving there: “Pay attention to this monk – no matter which way you move, his eyes are watching you”. Unfortunately, the church is closed for restoration.
I wander around the territory a little in search of where else to look and come across the exhibition “Frescoes of the Church of the Savior on Berestovo”. 10 unique frescoes of the 17th century, created thanks to the Kyiv Metropolitan Petro Mohyla.
I will briefly recall the history of the church.
Once upon a time, there was a village in that area – a country residence of the Kyiv princes. In 988, near the princely palace, Grand Duke Volodymyr Svyatoslavovich, returning from Byzantine Korsun, where he was baptized, built a wooden church in memory of this event.
The stone church – the Church of the Transfiguration, better known as the Church of the Savior on Berestov – was built during the reign of Volodymyr Monomakh (approximately between 1113 and 1125). Later, it became the tomb of the princely family of Monomakhovich.
Time and invaders did not spare the church, destroying it repeatedly. The last time a significant part of its walls fell was in 1482 during the attack on Kyiv by the Crimean Khan Mengli I Giray. Since then, the shrine stood in ruins for more than a century, until in 1640-1643 Petro Mohyla undertook to restore it at his own expense. He invited Athenian masters to paint the walls.
The original frescoes from the late 11th – early 12th centuries have been preserved on the walls and vaults of the church. However, their existence was unknown for a long time.
In 1970, during restoration work in the church, the composition “The Appearance of Christ to the Disciples on the Sea of Tiberias” was suddenly discovered, which became a real sensation.
The question immediately arose of fully revealing the ancient frescoes, and at the same time, of removing the 17th-century compositions that covered them. The team of restorers developed an original technology for this complex process. The entire mural painting of the Mogilev period was carefully removed from the western wall of the inner narthex - ten compositions from the middle of the 17th century: "The Last Supper", "The Resurrection of Lazarus", "Entry into Jerusalem", "The Washing of the Feet", "The Prophet Micah", "The Prophet Hosea", "The Prophet Amos", "The Prophet Joel", "The Prophet Ezekiel", "The Miraculous Catch of Fish". The frescoes were placed on a base and fixed on special stretchers.
The removed frescoes were stored in the Reserve's funds and were not available for viewing for some time. In July 2013, as part of the celebration of the 1025th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus, these 10 unique frescoes were opened to visitors, placing them in the building of the former St. Nicholas Hospital Church.
I go outside, wondering whether to go straight to the Church of the Savior on Berestov, or to go to the Printing Museum...And I see that the queue to the Treasury has disappeared.
To be continued...
