Artophorion (fragmented)

The artophorion is made of gray-toned metal.

The fragment is one of the tiers of the artophorion, with a rectangular base; on the front wall is a door bearing an image of a cross, on the back a donor's inscription. On the front wall (the door) is an eight-pointed cross, above which is a triangular halo with radiating rays amid clouds. On the upper straight crossbar of the cross is the inscription "INRI" ("Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews"); above the side arms are the letters "IC" and "XC" ("Jesus Christ"). On either side of the cross are the instruments of the Passion — a spear and a reed with a sponge, sprouting as if from grass, marked at the top with the letters "K" and "T" ("kopie" and "trost'") respectively. Below the side arms of the cross are the letters "NI" and "KA" ("Victory"). At the bottom, on either side of the cross, are the letters "G" and "G" ("Mount Golgotha"). Beneath the cross is a depiction of hills. On the back wall, at the top, is a four-armed cross, beneath which is a depiction of three flowers and a donor's inscription: "This tabernacle was made for the sloboda of Rublivka, for the Church of the Holy Archangel Michael, through the effort of the priest Vasyl Isakov of this church, November 1791." Below the inscription, to the left and right, are two flowers, and below that a shaped signature and a flower. At the top of the artophorion is a loop, into which a shaped fitting for hanging is fixed.

The artophorion was made in 1791. It 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 artophorion is a sacred vessel used in Christian churches to store the Holy Gifts (the Body and Blood of Christ) intended for the communion of the faithful. It is the most sacred object in the church and is usually placed on the altar table in the sanctuary. The artophorion is made in the form of a small church, chapel, or domed tower, inside which is a box for the Holy Gifts.