Artisans Craft New Icon for Russian Military Cathedral
Artisans are crafting a new icon of “The Savior Not Made by Hands” for a Russian Orthodox cathedral built in honor of the country’s Armed Forces.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that President Vladimir Putin has made a personal donation toward the icon’s production, the RBC news outlet reported on Tuesday, though he declined to disclose the exact amount of Putin’s donation.
“It’s the amount needed to make an icon,” RBC quoted Peskov as saying.
The Armed Forces cathedral is scheduled to be built by 2020, in time for the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II.
In the meantime, here are some behind-the-scenes photos of the icon-making process:
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that President Vladimir Putin has made a personal donation toward the icon’s production, the RBC news outlet reported on Tuesday, though he declined to disclose the exact amount of Putin’s donation.
“It’s the amount needed to make an icon,” RBC quoted Peskov as saying.
The Armed Forces cathedral is scheduled to be built by 2020, in time for the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II.
In the meantime, here are some behind-the-scenes photos of the icon-making process:
A look at an early draft of the new icon.
Sergei Vedyashkin / Moskva News Agency
The icon is expected to be completed in early May. It will be installed in the very center of the cathedral.
Sergei Vedyashkin / Moskva News Agency
Artisans created a unique wooden base using pieces from an 18th-century gun lifted from the bottom of the Neva River.
Sergei Vedyashkin / Moskva News Agency
Work has already begun on individual elements of the icon’s unique applied decorations. Masters pour wax, press hot enamel and produce the finest embossing.
Sergei Vedyashkin / Moskva News Agency
“The icon is 90 by 80 centimeters. The central part will be about three meters and completely made of metal. The production of this icon is carried out with Vladimir Putin’s personal funds,” Dmitry Smirnov, the cathedral's main architect, told the Defense Ministry’s Krasnaya Zvezda publication.
Sergei Vedyashkin / Moskva News Agency
The icon’s image, drawn according to Russian icon painting traditions from the 14th and 15th centuries, is also unique. It was designed by Mikhail Leontyev, a lead artist at the Sretensky Monastery workshops in Moscow.
Sergei Vedyashkin / Moskva News Agency
"It is extremely difficult to get close to the image of ‘The Savior Not Made by Hands,’ who, according to legend, appeared on a shawl with which Jesus washed his face. It was the first icon that appeared during his mortal life," said Leontyev.
Sergei Vedyashkin / Moskva News Agency
"Everything has a special meaning in [the cathedral]; Everything is connected with the history of the glorious victories of our Fatherland," Smirnov said.
Sergei Vedyashkin / Moskva News Agency
