Permanent exhibition of works by iconographer Fr Yuvenaly Mokrytsky
On October 16, the Holy Assumption Univ Lavra opened an exhibition “In memory of Fr. Yuvenaly Mokrytsky. The event is dedicated to 105th anniversary of the birth of the hieromonk -iconographer. The collection mainly includes drawings, sketches of icons, which now will enter the permanent museum of Lavra.
For the first time one can see the restored original drawings of icons by Yuvenaly created outside of Ukraine, where, finally, he spent most of his life. In particular, the interesting icons for the front row of iconostasis of St Sophia in Rome. The monk made this iconostasis on the request of Patriarch Yosyp Slipyy.
The exhibition also features the pictures of the iconostasis at the Church of the Assumption in Misisahua (Canada), the iconostasis of the Cathedral of the Holy Family in London. As for the latter, the icons were made not in the traditional egg tempera that the icon painters traditionally used, but with oil paints. This technique was used exclusively because of the humid climate of London, which could accelerate the destruction of icons made in egg tempera.
There are icons of Christ the Teacher and the Virgin Hodegetria, which in 1990 the painter donated to the Holy Assumption Lavra in Univ.
For the first time the icons of St Elijah and Virgin Hodegetria are presented from private collection of brother Boniface (Ivashkiv), a student of Fr Yuvenaly.
Among the exhibits one can see the Marian prosphora project, felon, stole, belt, armlets, prayer books and a liturgical set of Fr Yuvenaly, stored in Univ since the times of his last visit in 1993.
It was decided to set the new exhibition at Univ Lavra, as it is from here that the monastic and iconographer path of Fr Yuvenaly began. Some of the works presented were transferred from Canada in 2016by Kateryna Chalyk, who was a student of the icon painter. Earlier the drawings were in the Holy Dormition Monastery in Woodstock, where there was the hieromonk’s workshop.
The rest of the drawings and the Antimins that was made by Yuvenaly on the order of patriarch Joseph, were transferred to Univ by the monks of the Holy Trinity monastery located in the village of Zhukov Ternopil region. These iconographer’s works are still in the Studion monastery in Castelgandolfo near Rome, where the monk’s workshop was also located. Nina Polishchuk told it to RISU.
Background:
Fr Yuvenaly Mokrytskiy was born on October 16, 1911 in the village of Hlopivtsi, Ternopil region. On June 19, 1929, he entered the monastery of Univ. He was a disciple of the famous icon painter Vasyl Dyadynyuk, who led the icon-painting school at Studion monastery. On October 26, 1943, he was ordained a priest by Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky. In 1944, he entered the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts. In 1954, he enrolled to in the Holy Dormition Monastery of Studite Rite (Woodstock, Canada). In 1964, he stayed at Studion monastery in Grottaferrata (Italy). From 1976, he served as rector of Holy Dormition Monastery in Woodstock. In 1990, he came to Univ Holy Dormition Monastery to participate in the process of recovery and restoration of the monastery. In particular, Fr Yuvaneliy Univ written copy of the miraculous icon that has been lost. Currently, this is the copy stored in silver vestments in the Chapel Svyatouspenska Monastery in Univ.
Hieromonk Yuvenaly Mokritskiy reposed in the Lord on May 2, 2002, and was buried in Woodstock (Canada) at the local cemetery near the Holy Dormition Lavra in Univ.
