BULGARIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

History and present condition of the iconostasis of the church ‘The protecting veil of the Mother of God – the Mother of God, Joy to all who suffer’, Sofia

One of the few gilded iconostases in Sofia eparchy is in the church The protecting veil of the Mother of God – the Mother of God, Joy to all who suffer’, Sofia. The iconostsis was made in the second half of the 19^th century by the Russian Monastery of ‘St. Panteleymon’, Mount Athos for the church ‘St Panteleymon in the Russian hospital in Constantinopole. The icons were made in the icon workshop of the Belozersky Monastery “St. Nicholas”. The Russian ambassador to Constantinopole then, Count N.P.Ignatiev gave his especial support. The church at the Russian hospital with its beautiful iconostasis was opened in 1875.

After the war between Russia and Turkey, the iconostasis fell in the hands of a Turkish pasha. It was purchased from him and saved in 1925 by the construction committee for the church dedicated to The protecting veil of the Mother of God – the Mother of God, Joy to all who suffer’ in Sofia, founded by the patriot Bulgarian philanthropist Yordanka Filaretova. The purchase was made for the substantial amount of 800 000 gold leva, with the intercession of the Russian Church, as well as personally, of the Bulgarian Exarch Stefan. The plan of Yordanka Filaretova was to build an entire complex of charity establishments but only the magnificent church and the home for elderly people (presently the Bulgarian Nurse College bearing her name) were completed. The church construction finished in 1926.

There is a similar iconostasis in the church dedicated to the Nativity of Christ in the Bulgarian town of Shipka. According to historical data, that iconostasis was also made at the Monastery of ‘St. Panteleymon’ -Mount Athos and donated by the monks to Shipka, in memory of the soldiers who were killed in the war to free Bulgaria from Turkish rule.

The style and technology used on the icons of the two iconostases are especially similar, a demonstration of the so-called ‘academic style’ and oil painting technique popular at the time. The gilded plastic decorations on both pieces show a lot of similarities despite the generally different plastic style and architectonics.

The iconostasis of the church The protecting veil of the Mother of God has exceptional historical and artistic merits. The decorative plastic ornaments are made with notable workmanship in the tradition of the Russian neo-Baroque style. The gilding is of the highest quality, using the effects of polished and unpolished gold, on the ‘porcelain’ white background (gilder clay) of the iconostasis. The icons are drawn with outstanding skill and the best devices of oil technique. Despite their ‘academic’ style they preserve their Orthodox spirit and have a deep religious impact. The iconostasis is among the best and most valuable relics of polychrome and gilded wood plastic art in Bulgaria.

Unfortunately, over the years the state of the iconostasis has gradually deteriorated and overall restoration has not been done. According to the assessment of experts at present:

• there are large missing parts and breaks, especially underneath the icons, as well as losses in the carving;
• the gilding has mostly worn out, also due to improper cleaning;
• there are thick layers of dirt and soot on the surface, besides traces of candle wax;
• the icons are quite dirty, too, their lacquer has become dark, their ground coats cracked, the wood fractured in parts, fragments of the painting lost.

The gilding of all the icons and the entire iconostasis has to be renewed and complete restoration work carried out.

The walls of the church are covered with smoke and soot, the plaster needs to be reinforced and added to; the paint which covers all the inside church walls from top to bottom has to be removed.

20 September 2005