New rare icons evacuated from Ukraine displayed in France

For the first time, four precious icons from Ukraine are being showcased to the public in France.

The extremely rare works of art are currently on display at the Louvre-Lens Museum, about 200 kilometres north of Paris.

The artworks include a 15th-century depiction of the Virgin and Child and a 16th-century icon of Saint John the Baptist.

Moreover, two unusually large icons (2 metres by 2 metres) representing the Last Judgment and the Hymn to the Virgin by Greek Renaissance painter Theodoris Poulakis have been picked to be displayed at the museum.

Icons are religious paintings, usually of saints, that are considered sacred in Eastern Orthodox churches.

They are painted in traditional egg tempera (a mixture of dry pigments and egg yolk) on a wooden base, which makes them particularly sensitive to light, humidity, and temperature.

“The goal was to ensure the best possible conservation conditions for the icons,” said Maximilien Durand, the director of the Department of Byzantine Art at the Louvre Museum.

“In Ukraine, this was not possible due to the current circumstances. These are fragile artworks, painted on wood… They require stable temperatures, safe conditions and minimal handling. The Louvre reserves offer all these conditions. ” he told Euronews.

In May 2023, sixteen icons were secretly evacuated from the Khanenko Museum in Kyiv to protect them from Russian strikes.

The mission to evacuate the works of art was therefore a highly sensitive and perilous one conducted by the Louvre Museum.

“It’s a country under martial law, and security measures and discretion are essential. The icons left Ukraine secretly by land, accompanied by all the necessary protective measures. The icons crossed the border into Poland and Germany before arriving in Paris,” explained Maximilien Durand.

In 2022, a Russian airstrike blew out the windows and damaged some of the interior of the Khanenko Museum.

The icons will remain in France until the end of the war, according to the Louvre museum.

“We’ve set up operations to show them to the general public, so as not to keep them out of the public eye, as well as conducted scientific studies and analyses. It’s an opportunity to create hope and positivity within a context that is sad and dramatic,” said Durand.

The exhibition is open to the public until June 2025.