Kyiv customs officials have transferred Old Believer cultural valuables, which were previously attempted to be illegally sent abroad, to a museum collection. These are religious relics from the 18th-19th centuries, seized during the inspection of international postal shipments. This was reported by the State Customs Service of Ukraine, according to UNN.
Details
According to customs officials, a 19th-century metal icon "Image of the Holy Prophet Elijah" and an eight-pointed copper kiot cross with standing figures, dated to the 18th-20th centuries, have been transferred to the Kirovohrad Regional Council Art Museum.
It is noted that citizens tried to send these items abroad by mail, but Kyiv customs officers detected violations and stopped the illegal movement of cultural valuables.
Experts associate the production of such icons and crosses with Old Believer foundries.
The customs service explained that a kiot cross is a relic that was kept in a special cabinet — a kiot. Such crosses were used as a central element of a composition with icons or Holy Scripture books.
By court decision, the seized items were returned to state ownership, after which the Expert and Fund Council under the Ministry of Culture decided to transfer them to the museum collection.
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