- Italcementi Group

From March 30 through July 1, 2007, the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana in Milan will host an unprecedented exhibition of traditional Bulgarian orthodox icons and precious manuscripts.
Devnya Cement, the Bulgarian branch of the Italcementi Group, is one of the sponsors of this event.

Works: Crocifisso "corona" sopra l'iconostasi

With thirty-three works on display, the exhibition pursues a two-fold aim -- to present the development of orthodox art in Bulgaria from the 14th to the 19th century, and to introduce Italian visitors to the large variety of forms that characterize the painting of icons and the orthodox miniatures.
There is a wide selection of works exhibited at the event. Some of them, like the crucifix placed on the iconostasis (“crown”) in Boboshevo and the Ripidia, are constituent elements of orthodox iconostasis; others are examples of different icons according to type and function: the “real” icons, which are large in size, the small icons, “festival” icons, domestic icons, panels from triptychs and, last but not least, diptychs.

An icon is an artistic gesture, but above all, it is a declaration of belief. What turns icons into something eternal is not simply excellent workmanship associated with the finest materials, but the deep sentiments they can stir and -- in our specific case -- the cultural, ethnic, and religious diversities intersecting in a common image. The figures portrayed in icons allow believers to establish an intimate connection with the afterlife.
This is even more evident in a historical context such as that experienced by Bulgaria from the 9th to the 10th century, when the Slavic population encountered the orthodox-Byzantine culture, determining a kind of hybrid and fertile humus leading, inter alia, to the veneration of the sacred figures represented in an iconic form. Some of the most significant examples, lent by the Sofia National Art Gallery, can now be seen here in Italy for the first time ever.

Works:Concilio di Arcangeli

Visitors will also have the chance to view some of the most valuable manuscripts lent by the Historical and Archival Church Institute in the Holy Synod of the Orthodox Church of Bulgaria. The manuscripts, that are considered depositaries of the divine Logos, demonstrate a sacredness that made them object of veneration, worship, and admiration for centuries and centuries, where they also represented a symbol of national identity for Bulgarians.
These works of sacred art are not simply a fine expression of faith and devotion, but they are also evidence of the profound sense of tradition, continuity, and national identity in Bulgaria, a country that joins the European Union this year together with Romania.

The exhibition is organized by ‘ARPANet per la Cultura’ and is promoted by the General Consulate of the Republic of Bulgaria and the Biblioteca Ambrosiana. Conceived by the Cultural Institute at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria and by the Sofia National Art Gallery, the event is patronized by the City of Milan, the Province of Milan, the Lombardy Regional Authorities, the European Commission Representatives in Milan and the Bulgarian Ministry Office of Foreign Affairs, with the sponsorship by Italcementi.