A slab from the times of Kievan Rus rescued from illegal sale becomes an exhibit of the National Museum of History
Kyiv • UNN
A unique slab of the Holy Warrior from the times of Kievan Rus, which was almost illegally sold for 210,000 hryvnias, has become an exhibit of the National Museum of History of Ukraine after it was seized by law enforcement.
A unique slab of the Holy Warrior, which has a history of many centuries, was almost sold for 210 thousand hryvnias, but this was prevented by law enforcement investigators who seized the artifact during a search. On March 27, the find was transferred for safekeeping to the National Museum of History of Ukraine. This was reported by UNN with reference to the press service of the Prosecutor General's Office.
A unique slab of the Holy Warrior from the times of Kievan Rus, which prosecutors saved from illegal sale, became an exhibit of the National Museum of History of Ukraine
According to Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin, "they tried to sell the artifact, which is actually an invaluable element of our historical heritage, for 210 thousand hryvnias." He said that thanks to the efforts of prosecutors and investigators, the slab was seized during the search.
It took two years to track down the stone slab, which experts saw at an online auction. The pre-trial investigation in the criminal proceedings under Part 1 Art. 193 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine is ongoing.
The discovery was recognized as material evidence, arrested by court order, and now has been transferred to a museum for safekeeping.
According to the museum's director, Fedir Androshchuk, the rescued slab is, without exaggeration, a unique object of art and architecture. The sculptural relief in Romanesque style decorated a large monumental church.
The facade of the church, which is still unknown to us, probably depicted a number of holy warriors. Unfortunately, there are almost no churches with ornamented facades of this time, and this is the uniqueness of this plate,
For reference
Over the past three years, the National Police and the Security Service of Ukraine have investigated more than 300 crimes of theft, illegal trade, and smuggling of monuments.
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