Stolen XV century icon returned to Ukraine

Icon "Crucifixion with Bystanders" stolen in 1984

Published on 23 September 2011

Author(s): NRCU

Type:  News

A XV century icon "Crucifixion with Bystanders," which was stolen in 1984 from Lviv Museum of Ukrainian Art, has been returned to Ukraine.

The ceremony to hand over the icon to Ukraine has been held at the Sophia of Kyiv National Sanctuary.

The icon was stolen from Lviv Museum of Ukrainian Art (currently known as the Andriy Sheptytsky National Museum in Lviv) in 1984, along with over 20 more icons.

The values were removed abroad, and some of them were sold. In early 2010, it became clear that the Crucifixion with Bystanders was in the collection of Russian icon collector Mikhail de Boire (Yelizavetin).

He acquired the icon in Germany in 2007. His widow Yelizavetina expressed a desire to return the shrine to the Lviv museum.

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