The leader of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine bestowed blessings upon 12 icons painted on body armor plates that saved the lives of Ukrainian soldiers as they battled invading Russian forces.
Blessed Are The Plates: Ukraine's Orthodox Church Consecrates Icon-Painted Body Armor
An Orthodox icon drawn on an armored plate with a bullet hole is displayed at a consecration ceremony at St. Michael's Golden-Domed Cathedral in Kyiv on May 23.
"This is the first series of plates. They are not just plates. They were brought from the front," said Oleksandr Kovalchuk, co-founder of the Ukraine for Heroes charitable foundation. "They saved the lives of our defenders."
"It is about creativity, about art, about uniting people, the armed forces, and government through faith, faith in victory, faith in God. All of this is depicted on armor plates,” said Kovalchuk.
Metropolitan Epiphanius I, head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, leads the consecration ceremony for the blessing of Orthodox icons.
The icons are blessed with holy water.
Epiphanius I along with other clergy members review the icons.
The icons were created as part of the ArtArmor project that raises charitable donations and proclaims that "art is stronger than weapons."
There are plans to expand the collection of icons to 27, representing each region of Ukraine and three cities: Kyiv, Sevastopol, and Simferopol.
The icons will travel to the United States to be used at prayer breakfasts where attendees will be encouraged to donate money for the Ukrainian military.