Icon of "soul-snatcher" Kuntsevich in Kreschatik for Sate Emblem centenary

An icon with Uniate Saint Kuntsevich

In Khreschatyk, to the 100th anniversary of Ukraine’s national Emblem, an icon from the chapel of the Ukrainian Pontifical College of St Josaphat in Rome was displayed. It depicts Josaphat Kuntsevich, the Archbishop of Polotsk, ill-famed for his exceptional cruelty while converting the Orthodox faithful into the Union.  

As it became known to the UOJ, the banner with this icon is part of the open-air exhibition "The Symbol of Your Freedom. 100 Years of the State Emblem of Ukraine", organized by the National Memory Institute under the leadership of Vladimir Viatrovich.

The icon with Christ, Prince Vladimir and Uniate Saint Josaphat was painted in 1966 by Sviatoslav Gordinsky. Prince Vladimir is depicted with a trident. The original icon is the altarpiece of the chapel of the Ukrainian Pontifical College of St Josaphat in Rome.

In 2017, the head of the UGCC Sviatoslav Shevchuk commemorated the "martyr of unity" Josaphat Kuntsevich in the Vatican Basilica.

Archbishop Josaphat Kuntsevich (1580-1623) is a Uniate bishop of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Archbishop of Polotsk. Kuntsevich is known for his exceptional cruelty, with which he forcibly planted the Union of Brest in the territory of present-day Belarus, as well as for his activities to close Orthodox churches.

Read also