Chalice

The chalice is made of silver- and gold-toned metal. The cup of the chalice is cylindrical and silver-toned, with gold-toned rims curved outward. On the cup is a continuous "sorochka" (overlay), whose upper and lower parts are decorated with a floral ornament; between them, set within arched, column-like frames, are five different images: a four-pointed cross, a ladder, and a chalice; a hand and a foot, crossed with one another; a torso; a woman's head and a bird; a crossed hand with a bird, and a heart. The foot is stepped, in two tiers, with a round base and gold-toned edges curved outward. The lower tier is six-lobed, with silver-toned floral compositions, divided by wide gold-toned vertical bands. The upper tier is worked in the form of a six-petaled flower with gold-toned edges, alternating between images of cherubim and stylized "butterflies." The stem is cylindrical, tapering toward the top, with a shaped overlay in the form of stylized leaves. The foot and stem are joined to the cup by a metal rod.

The chalice belonged to the pre-war collection of the Sloboda Ukraine Museum named after H. S. Skovoroda. During the Second World War it was evacuated and returned to Kharkiv in November 1944.

Note: the chalice (potir) is the sacred liturgical cup used to consecrate wine and to celebrate the sacrament of Communion.

The chalice represents the cup given by Jesus Christ to his disciples at the Last Supper, with the words: "Drink of it, all of you, for this is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."