12
A unique collection of Ethiopian icons will be put on display in the crypt of the St. Alexander Nevski cathedral to mark the 50th jubilee of the Museum of Christian Art next year. The exhibits, which are from the museum’s fund have never been shown before. Back in the 1980’s the Ministry of Foreign Affairs donated icons and scrolls which will now be open to visitors.
But is the Museum of Christian Art popular and how many people go to see it? Here is the answer from Ass. Prof. Ralitsa Rousseva – chief curator of the museum and member of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Institute of Art Studies.
“We offer the entire array of Bulgaria’s cultural heritage. No official delegation coming to the country – presidents, foremost writers and artists from all over the world – has ever given the crypt a miss. And not just Orthodox Christians but also people of all religious denominations come to see the exhibits here.”
As far as restoration goes, some of the exhibits used to be in a deplorable state. But with the help of the National Art Gallery laboratory and its icon restorers, now they are much improved.
“The oldest wooden icon is Jesus Pantocrator. Actually, it was divided into three icons because of the complexity of the restoration work,” says Ass. Prof. Rousseva further. “The exhibit dates back to the 11th century. The oldest artifact in the crypt is a fragment of a 5th century fresco, we also have a small ceramic icon from Preslav which is from the 9th-10th century. The exposition covers a period from the 5th to the end of the 19th century.”
What will the jubilee celebrations include?
“We are now working on the patronage but the celebrations open next year. The first exhibition will display masterpieces of religious art marking the individual medieval periods. They are not currently in the crypt. The next exposition will be of Ethiopian Christian art i.e. we will present a country entirely unknown to Bulgarians. Moreover, we are working on a designated website for the crypt. We will also publish a catalogue presenting the collection that has constantly been enriched for 50 years.”
English version: Milena Daynova
Photos: Deyana Borissova
Bulgaria is still the only European country without a memorial to the victims of totalitarian regimes. Attention was once again called to this shameful fact, like a long untreated ulcer on the body of our society, on 1 June, when hundreds of people..
Almost 100 exhibits from the Museum of History Iskra in Kazanlak will be put on display at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, the US until the end of the year, Kazanlak municipality has announced on Facebook. The exposition in the US..
People of the Muslim faith in Bulgaria are celebrating Eid. 'Kurban', an Arabic word meaning 'approaching', signifies the efforts of Muslims to approach the mercy of Allah through animal sacrifice," said Dr Mustafa Haji, Grand Mufti of Bulgaria, in his..
Clear