Chalice

A small chalice, made of silver- and gold-toned metal. The cup of the chalice is cylindrical and silver-toned; the "sorochka" (overlay) takes the form of a multi-petaled golden flower. The cup is gold-toned inside and along its rim. The foot is stepped, in two tiers, with a round base and gold-toned edges curved outward. The lower tier is silver-toned, decorated with winding leaves and a stepped, gold-toned "band." The second tier is silver-toned, with a two-line inscription running around it (in Polish, partly illegible), and a gold-toned overlay in the form of leaves. The stem is round in cross-section, widening toward the top, and gold-toned.

The chalice was made in 1792.

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."