Belarus Issued New Stamp and Postal Cover with the Icon of “The Savior Not Made by Hands”

OCP News Service – 14/09/2023

Minsk-Belarus: The Ministry of Communications and Information of the Republic of Belarus, in cooperation with the Belarusian Orthodox Church, issued a new stamp and postal cover featuring the icon of ‘The Savior Not Made by Hands’ on September 12, 2023. The solemn ceremony for the unveiling of the postal project took place at the Church of the Holy Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky in Minsk.

The stamp was released in commemoration of the 125th anniversary of the Church of the Holy Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky in Minsk. The ceremony was attended by Metropolitan Benjamin of Minsk and Zaslavl, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus; Konstantin Shulgan, Minister of Communications and Information of the Republic of Belarus; Archpriest Nikolai Korzhich, the rector of the parish of the Church of the Holy Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky; and Svetlana Yurkevich, the General Director of RUE Belposhta.

The central image on the stamp is the revered temple icon ‘The Savior Not Made by Hands,’ which was painted by the artist-painter Nikolai Ge in the 19th century. The icon was donated by a parishioner in the early 20th century. At the top of the stamp, the icon is crowned with a depiction of the Ascension of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, flanked by two cherubs. On either side of the icon, there are framed images of the apostle evangelists: Mark, Matthew, Luke, and John.

This information was reported by the official website of the Belarusian Orthodox Church.

The Belarusian Orthodox Church has been collaborating with the Ministry of Communications and Information for 30 years on joint postal projects that reflect significant events in the spiritual and cultural life of Belarusian society. The first stamp in the sovereign Republic of Belarus was issued with the blessing of the first Patriarchal Exarch of all Belarus, Hero of Belarus, the late Metropolitan Philaret (Vakhromeev), during the 1000th-anniversary celebration of Orthodoxy in Belarus. That stamp featured a national and church shrine—the Cross of St. Euphrosyne of Polotsk.

Over the years, the Belarusian Orthodox Church and the Ministry of Communications and Information have jointly released postal blocks and stamps dedicated to various significant events, including the 2000th anniversary of the Nativity of Christ, the 1000th anniversary of the Belarusian Orthodox Church, the 1025th anniversary of the Baptism of Russia, the 1025th anniversary of the Polotsk diocese, the 1000th anniversary of the Turov diocese, the Cathedral Belarusian saints, the 550th anniversary of the appearance of the icon of the Zhirovichi Mother of God, icon painting of Belarus in the 21st century, the archpastoral service of the Honorary Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus Metropolitan Philaret on Belarusian land, the ‘Kolozha Icon of the Mother of God,’ ‘Architecture of Belarus: Orthodox Churches,’ and others.

Source:

OCP News Service