Religious Art from Russia to Greece

An exhibition of religious art from Russia in Greece

Occasioned by the cross cultural year between the Greece and Russia,

“Greece in Russia, Russia in Greece, 2016”

the Benaki Museum will be hosting the exhibition

“Religious Art from Russia to Greece”

Russian religious artworks will be presented which belonged to Greek

communities and religious centers from the second half of

the 16th century until the late 19th century.

in its central building from the 14th of December.

The exhibition results from the research program that was conducted by

the Institute of Mediterranean Studies of the

Foundation for Research and Technology – Hellas.

Juliana Boycheva acted as the main researcher of the project,

the subjects of which included Russian icons, books, and various religious objects,

preserved today in temples and museums across Greece.

The process included the record keeping, maintenance and study of said objects.

The exhibition highlights the findings of the research and was actually

scheduled to be presented in Moscow at the Andrei Rublev Musem,

but due to circumstances that didn’t allow its realisation

the Benaki Museum decided to host the exhibition instead.

Information that is analysed regarding the Russian icons include the reasons

why they were widely distributed and wanted in the Orthodox East during

the 16th century which in turn are not only political and religious

but also refer to their specific artistic attributes, as well as their low

cost which made them approachable to the lower

classes of the orthodox population.

Another aspect that is highlighted is the formation of transportation lanes,

initiated by Russia’s foreign policy which meant to establish political

and religious custody upon the orthodox population of the Ottoman Empire.

In this context, in Greece specifically, religious items were sent

under the jurisdiction of Russia’s foreign ministry.

Religious icons and items were brought to Greece also through donations

of Greek expats of high economic status living in Russia

as well as through travelling street sellers, known as “Afenia” who sold icons

of lower quality which were in high demand due to their cheap cost.

The diversity of the Russian iconography’s different artistic movements as

well as themes is represented through the exhibition.

Themes that prevail are icons of the Holy Mary and Saint Nicolas.

The objects were collected mainly from the Benaki Museum’s collection,

the Museum of Byzantine Culture in Thessaloniki, as well as from

bestowals of churches, monasteries and temples.

Some very rare objects that could not be transferred to the exhibition

are photographed and presented as well. In total 42 works of Russian

religious art are exhibited for the first time,

making this exhibition key to revealing a cultural phenomenon of much

importance regarding the Greek – Russian cultural relation and

recognizing the quality of its visual artistry.