Lourdes in Litchfield is presenting the first showing in Connecticut of the travelling exhibit “Icons on Ammo Boxes,” created by Ukrainian artists Sonya Altantova and Oleksandr Klymenko.
The exhibit continues through Oct. 6 and can be viewed for free from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and from 12:30 to 4 p.m. on Sunday.
According to the event listing, the collection of more than 25 icons painted on reclaimed ammunition boxes from Mariupol and surrounding areas was created to benefit a mobile field hospital in Ukraine, which has treated thousands of wounded soldiers and civilians since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The images on the ammunition boxes have a common feature of Eastern Christianity relating to transfiguration, Lourdes explained.
“Objects in icons look familiar but their portrayal gives them a transcendent quality, having been transfigured into something that exceeds our world expectations. The icons testify to peace, which millions of Ukrainians desire more than anything else,” said Father Don LaSalle, SMM, who invited Oleg and Yelena Duda to stage the exhibition to promote peace and continued prayer for an end to the conflict.
As Director of the Shrine of Lourdes in Litchfield, a replica of the Lourdes Grotto in France built by the Montfort Missionaries on 170 acres, Father Don noted that the Shrine serves as a peaceful place of reflection and contemplation.
“It is appropriate that we welcome these icons to the Shrine,” Father Don said. “This exhibition is a wonderful way to help turn the evil represented by the ammunition boxes into good and to pray for an end to the destruction of Ukraine and its people.”
Anyone who would like additional information about the exhibit may contact Lourdes in Litchfield’s administrative assistant, Trent Berry, at 860-567-1041, or exhibition coordinator Rich Miller-Murphy 917-439-1727.
Lourdes in Litchfield is located at 50 Montfort Road, off Route 118 east of Litchfield center.