On the eve of the Feast of the Intercession of the Holy Virgin and the Day of Defenders of Ukraine, a joint exhibition project begins, organized by the Museum of the History of Kyiv, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and the Sheremetev Museum, titled “ΩΜΟΦΌΡΙΟ. The Army under the Protection of the Mother of God.”

The exhibition will showcase the history of the transformation of the sacred image of the Intercession of the Holy Virgin as an important element of the culture of Ukrainian warriors over many centuries. The veneration of the Mother of God as the Patroness of the Ukrainian army has deep-rooted traditions, which will be reflected in the exhibition and will demonstrate the unity of Ukrainians across generations at different stages of the struggle for Ukraine’s independence and freedom.

“In the conditions of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine and attempts to completely annihilate us as a nation, images that emphasize Ukrainian identity become extremely important. It is symbolic that the church feast of the Intercession of the Holy Virgin is celebrated on the same day as two other important state holidays – Ukrainian Cossacks Day and Defenders of Ukraine Day. We aim to show the historical background of these holidays, highlight the continuity of military tradition, and reveal the special place of faith among the bravest of us. Today, the servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine continue the path of struggle of the Ukrainian defenders of previous generations for the independence and freedom of our Motherland,” notes Diana Popova, General Director of the Museum of the History of Kyiv.

The exhibition “ΩΜΟΦΌΡΙΟ. The Army under the Protection of the Mother of God” will be thematically divided into four sections. The first will tell the story of the formation of the image of the Intercession and its sacred significance for Ukrainians; the second will focus on the Feast of the Intercession during the Cossack era; the third will showcase the traditions of honoring the Intercession of the Holy Virgin by the soldiers of the Army of the Ukrainian People’s Republic in 1917–1921, and later by the fighters of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army. The holiday gained exceptional significance in 2014 with the beginning of Russian aggression, so the fourth section of the exhibition will be devoted to the defenders of modern Ukraine, who form a protective shield and, like the Intercession of the Holy Virgin, defend us from the enemy today.