School of Icon Painting at the Moscow Theological is awarded the ‘National Wealth’ Prize

The ‘National Wealth’ prize was handed in the Hall of Church Councils of the Christ the Saviour Cathedral on 27 January 2008. The school of icon painting at the Moscow Theological Academy was awarded in the nomination ‘Art for Moral Dignity’ for its ‘invaluable contribution to the revival of old spiritual traditions.’

The prize was instituted by the St Alexander Nevsky Foundation with support of the Russian Ministry of Culture and with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia. It is aimed at the unity and coordination of efforts of public circles in the education of patriotism and shaping spiritual and moral foundations, and respect for historical tradition of the Russian people, website of the Moscow Theological Academy reports.

The Chairman of the Russian Union of Writers V. Ganichev handed the prize to the head of the school of icon-painting Hegumen Luke (Golovkov), who thanked the founders and noted the importance of traditions in the icon painting. ‘It is important to all icon-painters to come in contact with tradition, to feel how profound the ascetics’ life had been in order to transfer this depth and this life to icons. It is important to icon-painters to feel the heavenly world and show it to us so that people could spiritually grow in the church through icons.’