I didn't know that St Margaret of Scotland (above), Queen Consort of Malcolm Canmore III of Scotland, was (possibly anyway) the granddaughter of Yaroslav the Wise, ruler of Kyiv in Ukraine in the 11th century. I learned this from a rather wonderful exhibition in Bolton Priory Church called 'Icons on Ammo Boxes'.
In 2014, after Russia annexed Crimea, Kyiv artists Sofia Atlantova and Oleksandr Klymenko started painting icons on the wood from ammunition boxes retrieved by Ukrainian forces on the front lines of the war. Their idea is to bear silent witness to the war, to transform these 'coffins of death' into symbols of the victory of life over death.
I found them both beautiful and moving. Icons invite us to see beauty, certainly, but also to be drawn into and respond to God's living presence.
This one, 'Mother of God with the Christ Child', is painted in tempera on an ammo box donated by Special Forces fighters from near Bakhmut.
They were all beautiful but my own favourite was St Patrick, who spread Christianity to Ireland. Just look at that wonderful, wise, serene face.
St David, who founded monasteries and is the patron saint of Wales, has Welsh daffodils around his feet.
I'd not heard before of St Melangell. She lived as a hermit in the Tanat valley in Wales in the 7th century. Legend has it that Brochwel, Prince of Powys, was hunting and pursued a hare, which took refuge under Melangell's cloak. Struck by her courage and sanctity, Brochwel gave her the valley as a place of sanctuary, where she founded a small religious community - and became the patron saint of hares.
Funds raised by the icons project support charitable initiatives to help civilians, Ukrainian military and medical aid projects on the frontline in Ukraine. The exhibition closes on Friday (13th) so there is still time to visit if you're local.
No comments:
Post a Comment