Beauty and faith merge in Hancock

An iconographic crucifix designed in Russian Orthodox style hangs on the wall behind the altar; Yuri painted the crucifix and Natal'ya gilded its border with gold leaf. The couple also restored a tabernacle from the 1920s that probably was used on a side altar but had been sitting in the church basement in recent years.

Such artistic contributions from the Russian immigrant couple who have been part of the St. Paul's parish family for the past three years have earned high praise from Rev. Stephen Morris, administrator. He shares their appreciation of iconography and hopes their artwork, especially the crucifix, gets the attention of St. Paul's youngest parishioners.

"What children see today is big: big TVs, big baseball stadiums, big malls. Jesus has to be big to communicate how big His life and love are," Father Morris said.

Artistic background

Yuri wanted to broaden his artistic range to include iconography, so he spent five years at the Holy Transfiguration Russian Orthodox Monastery near Utica to learn how to paint icons. He hadn't been raised in any religious faith, but his love for iconography eventually led to his Baptism in the Russian Orthodox Church while at the monastery.

It was through another Transfiguration Monastery, a Catholic one in Windsor, New York, that Yuri and Natal'ya came to know Father Morris. He was chaplain there at the time and met the Russian couple through the Benedictine nuns. Father Morris has been interested in iconography since childhood, and their shared interest led to friendship that has continued since Yuri and Natal'ya moved to Hancock three years ago.

Religious art

About a year ago, Father Morris got the idea of replacing the tiny crucifix at St. Paul's with a bigger iconographic crucifix.

Using mahogany plywood found in a dumpster, David Boyce, an engineer, built the two-piece crucifix, while parishioner Mitch Rizzo did Jesus' halo.

Then the artistic couple followed Father Morris' suggestions in designing the finished work. The crucifix has three crossbars: one contains a Latin insignia that means, "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews"; another bar portrays Jesus nailed to the cross by His arms; the third bar is for the feet of Jesus, each of which is nailed separately to the cross. Showing a nail in each foot is reminiscent of earlier iconographic depictions of Jesus, Father Morris pointed out.

Meaning in design

Beneath Jesus' feet is another interesting feature not usually seen on a crucifix: a skull, which represents both Golgotha, "the Place of the Skull" where He was crucified, and the skull of Adam, to show Him as the new Adam. The crucifix hangs between the Greek letters alpha and omega -- the beginning and the end -- on the sanctuary wall.

Yuri spent his spare time painting the crucifix over the past year. Natal'ya used gold leaf to decorate its border. They worked in their apartment, so the crucifix, which is three-quarters of life size, had to be built in two pieces to fit in.

Reclamation

Although it had decayed and pieces were broken, the tabernacle still could be used, so Yuri and Natal'ya spent four or five months restoring it in their spare time. The engineer built a pointed top resembling the shape of the St. Paul's roof. The Russian couple scraped off the old paint, sanded the wood, repainted and varnished it, and repaired or replaced pieces that were broken or missing. Yuri carved feet for the pillars, and Natal'ya once again added gold leaf for decoration.

The tabernacle has been in place behind the altar for about three months, and the crucifix has been up for the past month. Father Morris has seen parents bring their children up into the sanctuary to get a closer look at Yuri and Natal'ya's work, and the crucifix has proven to be quite the center of attention.

"The crucifix has to be a strong image, and iconography does that," he said. "Theologically, it's an art form that invites you into relationship and communion. It's a window to eternity."

Yuri is just glad that he and his wife could put their artistic skills to work for parishioners and that the crucifix is helping to spread faith in Jesus. "I'm very happy. The cross helps people to believe," he said.

(06-10-99) [[In-content Ad]]