April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.

Beauty and faith merge in Hancock


By PAUL QUIRINI- | Comments: 0 | Leave a comment

The sanctuary of St. Paul the Apostle Church in Hancock is becoming a gallery for Yuri Kuchukov and Natal'ya Kuchukova to show their artwork and share their vision with parishioners.

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 came to the United States from Russia in 1977; Natal'ya joined him several years later. Their daughter is a graduate student there, and Natal'ya's mother still lives there. While in Russia, Yuri developed his artistic skills, and Natal'ya worked as a professional restorer of palaces and museums.

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

Yuri, who teaches art at the Family School in Hancock, a private high school where Father Morris serves as chaplain, has painted icons of prophets and saints on the walls of the vestibule and Reconciliation room in the school's chapel, named for St. Mary Help of Christians and St. Antony the Abbot.

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

At the end of the crucified Jesus' outstretched right arm is an icon of Mary, while at the end of his left arm is one of St. John. Two streams flow from Jesus' side, one of water and one of blood; to Jesus' left are the cup of suffering, a sponge, the crown of thorns and a spear.

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

The tabernacle, which Father Morris found in the church basement, probably first was used during the 1920s on a side altar that since has been removed from the sanctuary. He wanted to restore the oak tabernacle for use, and relied upon Mr. Boyce, Mr. Rizzo and the Russian artists to develop his idea.

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.

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